


A Mile In Your Shoes

by namingthingsishard



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Back at it with another weird fic, But this should be all for now, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mentions of offscreen torture, Panic Attacks, Pumpkin Spice and Everything Souyo 2020, Sharing a Body, Spirits, The rest of the IT has some appearances but it's mainly Souji & Yosuke, might add more tags later if i think of any
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-11-04
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:28:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 35,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27311899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/namingthingsishard/pseuds/namingthingsishard
Summary: Yosuke ends up getting a look inside the mind of his composed and often enigmatic partner firsthand, when his spirit is forced out of his body and unintentionally ends up in Souji’s.
Relationships: Hanamura Yosuke/Narukami Yu, Hanamura Yosuke/Persona 4 Protagonist, Hanamura Yosuke/Seta Souji
Comments: 72
Kudos: 148
Collections: Pumpkin Spice and Everything Souyo (2020)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so funny story about this one: this is actually the very first P4/Souyo fic that I've ever written, and I had like... practically all of it written out save for the last scene or two, but then I got distracted by other ideas and never actually finished it lmao;; Cue me over a year later, finding the fic and brushing off all the virtual dust to try and wrap up this weird fic and toss it online as my contribution to the Souyo Halloween event for this year, because it's got spirits and stuff so it's close enough as far as I'm concerned lmao
> 
> I wrote this as a one shot but it's like 32k which is just a _bit_ too long dskfj so I'm splitting it up into chapters, and I apologize in advance if the chapter breaks seem awkward in any way, I tried to find the best parts to split it up;; (Also, let's just pretend that there's a free month in between Naoto getting rescued and November, because that's the only time period that I could see this fic generally working in lmao)
> 
> Enjoy, and Happy Halloween!! ^^

The Shadow they were up against was like none that they’d ever seen before--even Rise was thrown for a loop as she tried to scan it, only to come up with hardly any information on it. Its form was more human-like than most Shadows that they encountered, with a wickedly unsettling grin and an array of dark and lightning spells that were taking down Souji’s teammates left and right.

Souji did his best to remain calm even through the chaos, shouting out commands and burning through their healing and revival items while cycling through his Personas, desperate to find at least one that would be able to strike down the Shadow and end this dangerous battle.

He didn’t even notice the Shadow’s gaze coming to rest on him until it launched another attack, leaving him hardly any time to brace himself, let alone to dodge.

“ _ Partner! _ ”

Souji’s eyes widened as he was roughly shoved out of the way, but he couldn’t even bring himself to care about the pain that shot through his body as he hit the ground hard--not when he saw the attack meant for him connect with Yosuke instead, his best friend’s screams ringing in his ears before he suddenly went quiet and collapsed, his body unnervingly still.

“ _ Yosuke! _ ” Souji pushed himself up to his feet and stumbled over to Yosuke’s side, collapsing to his knees next to him and frantically checking for a heartbeat.

He found one, thankfully, but it felt wrong, like it was a bit too slow--

Souji scrambled for a revival bead, his heart dropping when it refused to work, as did any of the healing items, and he was about to start casting every healing spell he had on hand when Rise shakily called for his attention.

“S… Senpai, Yosuke-senpai’s-- I can’t--”

Souji looked over to her, silently pleading with her to continue. If anyone could tell what happened to Yosuke and how to fix it, it would have to be Rise (and Souji wouldn’t let himself think about what would happen if it couldn’t be fixed, he  _ wouldn’t _ \--)

“He’s… there’s something wrong with him. He’s not hurt, he’s still alive, but it’s like… like his mind isn’t there.”

“A coma…?”

Souji was too stunned to even respond to Naoto’s voice, having reached the same conclusion himself--and even though he knew they were still in the middle of a fight, even though he knew everything was falling into even more disarray now that Souji had stopped giving orders and everyone had seen what happened to Yosuke, he just couldn’t muster the strength to pull himself together.

Yosuke was in a coma because of him.

God, what the hell were they even  _ doing _ , running around in a dangerous place like this? If Yosuke could end up in a coma, then who’s to say the same couldn’t happen to the rest of their team?

Souji felt sick to his stomach with guilt, and he was inwardly grateful when Naoto straightened up and took over for him. She shouted an order to retreat that everyone shakily followed, with Souji and Kanji hefting Yosuke’s unconscious body up and carrying him away.

* * *

It was three days later--three days of spending every last minute that he possibly could hovering by Yosuke’s bedside at the hospital, praying that the doctors would be able to do something for his best friend while knowing in the back of his mind that this was something beyond all of their understanding; three days of kicking himself for not paying more attention during the fight, for putting Yosuke in a position where this would happen, for putting  _ anyone _ on their team in a position where something like this could happen; three days and two nights of bloodshot eyes and concerned glances sent his way and more coffee than was probably healthy just to stave off the need to sleep, as if punishing himself for Yosuke’s lack of consciousness by remaining conscious for both of them--that Rise finally pulled Souji aside to speak with him, determined to snap him out of the funk he’d fallen into from the loss of his partner.

“I went back into the TV world with Teddie to do another scan.” Rise’s expression was serious as she met Souji’s eyes. “I’m not sure what exactly I picked up, but… it felt like Yosuke-senpai. I think whatever it is, it’s what’s keeping him from waking up.”

Souji immediately felt a small flicker of hope come to life inside of him, but before he could so much as open his mouth, Rise poked him in the chest with a stern expression.

“Before you say anything, Senpai, we’re not going in there today--not when you look like you’re about to pass out.” Her expression softened into a reassuring smile as she added, “Go home, get some sleep, and we’ll all meet up tomorrow to go and find whatever’s keeping Yosuke-senpai from waking up. Okay?”

Souji wanted to protest, wanted to insist that he was fine and that they couldn’t keep Yosuke waiting any longer than they already had while dealing with getting him into the hospital, and trying to explain to Yosuke’s parents how their son had suddenly fallen into a coma, and having to dodge Dojima’s questions about the situation, and having to deal with their own physical and emotional exhaustion, and so much more--but even now Souji’s vision was wavering, his body threatening to give out on him, and the last thing he wanted was to put any more of his teammates in danger because of his own negligence.

With a weary sigh, Souji nodded and trudged all the way back home, hoping that Yosuke would be able to forgive them for keeping him waiting for one more day as he collapsed onto his futon and passed out, his exhaustion quickly catching up with him now that there was hope of bringing his best friend back.

* * *

It took all of Souji’s self-restraint to keep still in his seat throughout the entire school day, every second that passed by being one more second that he could have been in the TV world finding whatever it was that was keeping Yosuke from waking up. He tried to use the time as best as he could, running through different mental simulations of fights against the Shadow that they’d been forced to retreat from--he knew they would have to fight it again, and something in his gut told him that defeating that Shadow would be the key to helping Yosuke.

He wouldn’t fail his partner. Not again.

Souji rushed off as soon as classes ended for the day, just barely remembering to tell Chie to gather everyone at their headquarters before he left to catch the bus to the shopping district. He probably spent more than he should have, stocking up on items from Shiroku and upgraded weapons and armor from Daidara’s, but he couldn’t bring himself to care at the moment. He would just have to work a few more shifts to cover the chunk that he’d taken out of their funds, no big deal.

(It would probably be a big deal when Souji was trying to rework his plans to somehow cram an extra few hours of work per day into his already packed schedule, backed up even more by his past few days of inactivity, but Souji would cross that bridge when he got to it.)

The trip into the TV world was tense, everyone donning their new weapons and armor and moving forward with a single-minded focus. They evaded the smaller Shadows, wanting to save their energy for the fight that they knew would be waiting for them, until they finally came across the Shadow from before, its unsettling grin somehow even wider than before as it cackled and attacked them.

Almost as if it had been expecting them.

Good thing  _ they’d _ been expecting  _ it _ , too.

Souji wasted no time in shouting commands, focusing this time on catching the Shadow off-guard with status effects and debuffs instead of draining all of their energy trying to hammer away at it while Rise hung back, running a constant scan to keep the tide of the battle in their favor while trying to pin where exactly Yosuke’s presence was coming from.

“Senpai, look out!”

This time, Souji was fully prepared for the Shadow’s gaze fixing on him, and he switched Personas to cast Makarakarn before Rise’s warning even reached his ears, the attack harmlessly bouncing off of the shield.

“This Shadow’s sharper than most others we’ve faced,” Naoto commented thoughtfully, her eyes narrowed as she fell into place next to Souji without turning her gaze away from the Shadow. “It seems to know that you’re the leader, and is most likely looking to eliminate you first.”

“I was hoping it was just my imagination, but I think you’re right,” Souji agreed with a troubled frown. “But if it’s focusing on me, then--”

Before he could even finish his sentence, he was met with a chorus of firm “ _ No _ ”s that caused him to wince and reluctantly back down, though honestly he would have been more surprised if anyone had let him so much as entertain the thought of acting as a decoy.

“Fine. Let’s finish this quickly, then.”

Unlike their first attempt at dealing with the Shadow, this time it actually felt like they were making headway against it, now that they knew exactly what they were up against and how to approach fighting it. Only after Chie managed to land a solid hit that had the Shadow wavering on its feet did Rise suddenly speak up, her sharp inhale causing Souji to look back at her in alarm.

“I found it! Senpai, look up there!”

Behind where the Shadow had been standing, previously blocked from their view but now visible beyond the Shadow’s stumbling form, was what looked to be a cage made of pulsating streams of darkness hovering high above the ground--and inside was a small orb of light, hardly a speck from where they stood.

Instinctively, Souji knew that whatever was in that cage, it was what was keeping Yosuke from waking up.

“Naoto!” Souji shouted, not even needing to finish the command before the detective prince rushed off in the direction of the cage, her gun drawn and ready.

“On it, Senpai! Kanji-kun, cover me!” Naoto exclaimed, trusting without glancing back that he would follow her.

Souji watched the two younger members making their way around the Shadow, and commanded Yukiko, Chie, and Teddie to keep up their attacks, casting another Makarakarn on himself as a safeguard before rejoining the fray.

“ _ Yamato-Takeru! _ ”

The sound of Naoto summoning her Persona was nearly drowned out by the sound of Chie and Yukiko’s combined attack, which worked in their favor--and even if the Shadow had caught sight of her, Kanji was standing right next to her, metal plate clenched tightly in his hands as he prepared to ward off any attack that so much as came close to the detective as she focused all of her attention on breaking the cage.

Souji’s attention was pulled away from Naoto as a lightning attack slammed against the magical barrier around him hard enough to send him stumbling backwards, but even as the barrier shattered away it did its job: it prevented him from taking any more damage as the attack rebounded towards the Shadow, and it bought everyone a precious few seconds to catch their breath as Souji pulled out a few items to replenish everyone’s energy.

“Senpai, just hold on a bit longer! Naoto’s almost--”

One last shout from Naoto cut Rise off, her Persona shattering the darkness caging the light that was preventing Yosuke from regaining consciousness.

Naoto was only saved from collapsing by Kanji’s quick reflexes, her Persona’s form flickering away as she fought to catch her breath, and she leaned heavily against him in exhaustion as he helped her back towards Souji, oblivious to Kanji’s flushed face and embarrassed expression.

“If our deduction was correct, then Yosuke-senpai should be fine now,” Naoto said, nodding her thanks to Souji as he passed her a chewing soul.

The Shadow suddenly let out a noise, almost sounding irate despite the grin still on its face as it swiped at the light that Naoto had freed--which Souji noted worriedly had not only not disappeared as he’d thought it would, but was actively moving, dodging the Shadow’s clawed hand as if--

Souji sucked in a sharp breath, his eyes going wide with realization as the light began speeding away from the Shadow and in his direction, and he hastily summoned his Persona to shield it from another attack, grimacing in pain from the hit and ignoring the warnings being shouted at him as the light charged straight for him.

As soon as it hit his chest, he knew his suspicion had been right.

“Rise,” he began through gritted teeth, one hand pressed over his chest where the light had entered him and his other hand gripping his head, “is that Shadow almost…?”

“Senpai--”

“ _ Rise! _ ”

Rise flinched, her worried expression wavering for a moment before hardening as she nodded and focused on scanning the Shadow. “Just a few more hits should do it.”

“Good.” Souji let out a breath, small bits of blue light briefly dispersing around him until his pained expression finally relaxed.

“Senpai, your Personas…!”

Souji shook his head. “I’ll explain later. For now….” He turned his attention over to everyone who was still fighting, raising his voice enough to be heard by them. “Knock that Shadow down and finish it!”

He watched as his teammates nodded in response to his order before charging at the Shadow, a well-timed hit from Kanji sending the Shadow collapsing to the ground moments before everyone piled on it, pouring the last of their strength into finishing it off.

“Good work, everyone.” Souji gave his exhausted teammates a smile as the Shadow finally disappeared, feeling close to passing out from exhaustion himself as he pulled out a Goho-M and used it, bringing them all back to the entrance for some well-deserved rest.

* * *

“Rise,” Souji began, stopping the group before they could approach the TV stack to return home, “could you do a quick scan of me?”

Rise’s brows furrowed in a mixture of confusion and concern, but she did as told--and when she let out a sharp gasp, the entire team save for Naoto and Souji tensed, waiting to hear what she’d found.

“That’s… no way, that doesn’t make any-- wait, does that mean that light was--”

“Spit it out already! Is there something wrong with Senpai or not?” Kanji asked.

“Yosuke-senpai… I’m sensing Yosuke-senpai  _ inside _ Senpai!”

Naoto stepped forward to speak with Souji, the two of them ignoring the chaos of the rest of the group trying to figure out what Rise meant.

“So that light….”

Souji nodded. “I realized it too.”

“You  _ knew? _ ” Chie’s incredulous voice cut through everyone else’s commentary, and Souji turned to glance over at her.

“Not at first, but I had my suspicions after Naoto destroyed the cage. If that light was just something that was keeping Yosuke from waking up, it would have disappeared as soon as we’d freed it.”

Naoto nodded. “And its movements… they felt almost…  _ conscious. _ Like the light knew it was being attacked, and knew to avoid it.”

“So that means… that light was  _ Yosuke _ …?” Chie breathed out, horror gradually replacing the bewildered shock in her expression. “That means Yosuke was trapped with that Shadow this whole time? And he was  _ conscious _ that whole time?”

Souji swallowed thickly, shoving all emotion aside in order to remain composed and not break down as guilt began to eat away at him once more. “It would seem so.”

The group fell silent at that, each of them falling into thought with troubled expressions on their faces.

Teddie was the first to break the silence, his voice quiet and tentative as he asked, “Will Yosuke be okay…?”

Souji let out a shaky breath before giving Teddie a reassuring smile. “Yosuke’s strong. I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

“How did he end up inside of you, though?” Yukiko asked, deciding a change of subject would be best. “Does that mean he possessed you?”

Chie and Naoto both stiffened, and Rise gave the oblivious girl a light shove, her expression nervous. “C’mon Yukiko-senpai, don’t talk like that! Yosuke-senpai’s alive, so he can’t be a…  _ you know! _ ”

“Okay, but like… if Yosuke-senpai’s, uh,  _ inside _ Senpai, how’s he gonna go back to his own body?” Kanji asked, blinking and glancing around warily as everyone suddenly turned to look at him. “What? What’d I say?”

“Kanji made a good point….” Teddie breathed out in shock.

“Hey! Why the hell you gotta say it like that, huh?”

“It  _ is _ a valid concern, though,” Naoto pointed out, interrupting before a fight could break out, and Kanji immediately straightened up with a flushed face in response as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“I mean, I was just thinkin’ out loud, but if you say so then it’s gotta be true.”

Souji looked thoughtful for a moment, cautiously feeling for Yosuke’s soul inside his mind without disturbing his unconscious friend before nodding to himself. “I don’t think we’ll have to worry about that. I should be able to remove his soul myself, like how I can dismiss Personas at will.”

“Speaking of your Personas, what happened to them?” Rise asked worriedly. “Back there, during the fight, they just…  _ vanished! _ ”

Naoto’s eyes narrowed in realization. “Senpai, are you telling me that you dismissed your Personas in the  _ middle of a battle? _ ”

“What? Sensei, that’s dangerous! You could’ve gotten hurt!” Teddie moved over to Souji’s side, looking up at him with a worried expression.

“I had to. Yosuke… you can’t feel it like I can, but he’s weak right now--so weak that I had to pull him the rest of the way in myself when he ran into me.” As Souji spoke, he absentmindedly put a hand over his chest, where Yosuke’s spirit had rushed over to him in clear desperation. “I only have so much room in my mind, and trying to hold onto both him and all of my Personas… it was too much. I had to let one or the other go, and it was too dangerous back there for me to just force Yosuke out unless it was completely necessary.” He briefly glanced over at Rise as he added, “That’s why I asked if the Shadow was almost defeated or not. Once I knew everyone could finish it off, I held onto Izanagi and let go of the rest of my Personas so my mind wouldn’t reject Yosuke or crack from the pressure.”

“I see…,” Naoto murmured, her expression troubled. “I apologize. I should have realized that having so many Personas was strenuous on the mind, given how exhausting just one Persona can be--and having to fit in another human mind on top of that….”

“Sensei, Teddie is beary sorry too…!!”

Souji gave the mascot a pat on his head, a reassuring smile on his face. “Don’t worry about it. There’s no way any of you could have known. Besides, what’s important now is that we did what we came to do: we defeated that Shadow and rescued Yosuke.”

“That’s right! So what, now we’ve just gotta head over to the hospital and wake him up, yeah?” Chie asked with a grin, oblivious to the hesitation in Souji’s expression as he nodded in response. “Then let’s go!”

“Oh--actually, could you all go on ahead?” Souji suddenly asked, absentmindedly reaching up to grip his head. “Yosuke’s waking up, and he’s--” He cut off with a slight wince, a worried grimace on his face.

“He’s handling waking up in someone else’s mind about as well as anyone else would?” Naoto finished wryly, though there was unmistakable sympathy in her eyes, the same sympathy that the rest of the team wore as they thought about what Yosuke must be feeling, going from being trapped by a Shadow to being trapped in someone else’s head.

Souji nodded with a weak smile. “More or less. Just give me a few minutes to explain the situation to him.”

Everyone slowly exited the TV world until Souji was the last one left, and he took a seat next to the stack of TVs before closing his eyes and turning his focus inward towards his panicking best friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short first chapter is short, but if I didn't cut it off here then this first chapter would've ended up being like 10k lol so you can at least look forward to a much longer second chapter if nothing else!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, getting comments and kudos on a bizarre self-indulgent fic that I expected everyone to just scroll past: *surprised pikachu face*
> 
> Take any explanations in this fic with a grain of salt. Actually several grains of salt. Or maybe even a whole container of salt, I have never known what I'm talking about at any moment in my life ever

Saying Yosuke was in pain would be the understatement of the century.

He’d dealt with his fair share of pain from months of forays in the TV world, and he’d started to think that maybe he was building up a tolerance--but absolutely nothing compared to the hellish agony that became constant for him over the past few hours, or days, or  _ eternity _ for all he knew.

The last thing he remembered was taking that hit for Souji, and the next thing he knew he was trapped in some sort of cage, lacking a physical form (that alone was enough to make him panic) and at the mercy of the same Shadow that had completely wrecked their team and had tried to take down his partner. Still, he refused to give in, if only because the logical part of his brain--that was somehow still functioning despite the pain and terror coursing through him--realized that he was being held prisoner for a purpose.

This Shadow wasn’t going to kill him. It was going to use him to lure Souji and the others back where it wanted them.

Yosuke wasn’t sure which option was worse.

Actually, scratch that--death would have been easier, if only because it would have been a relief from the agonizing pain that the Shadow continuously inflicted on him for its own amusement, seeming to enjoy how Yosuke refused to give in and beg for it to stop.

As much as he wanted the pain to end, he still had his pride. This damn Shadow was already holding him hostage, he wasn’t going to give it any more pleasure than that.

It was with a mixture of elated relief and panicked dread that Yosuke realized the Shadow had finally turned its attention away from him, the shouts of his friends and the beginning of another battle doing nothing to calm his nerves.

What if the Shadow tried to hit Souji with that attack again? What if it ended up capturing both of them? What if--

Yosuke mentally let out a strangled noise as he saw the Shadow let out the same attack that hit him, before watching as it bounced harmlessly off of a magical barrier surrounding Souji, and he just barely managed to avoid hitting the bars of shifting darkness that he was caged in as he sagged in relief.

(He’d made the mistake of touching them once--or rather, ramming himself against them in a desperate attempt at escaping--and vowed never to go near them again. Even now, he could still feel the darkness seeping into his very soul, draining him in ways that were even more tortuous than the electric currents the Shadow had constantly sent into him.)

Yosuke watched the battle nervously as best as he could from his position, so caught up in mentally cheering his friends on that the sound of a gunshot nearby made him flinch, startled as a bullet suddenly hit one of the bars caging him in.

One glance downward showed Naoto staring up with a determined expression, her gun in one hand and her Persona at the ready as she began pouring all of her energy into breaking the cage.

Though he couldn’t help but flinch and recoil from every hit to the bars, a flicker of hope came to life inside of him at the realization that Naoto was trying to break him out.

His friends knew he was here. They hadn’t abandoned him.

They were putting themselves in danger to save him.

He knew the Shadow’s purpose in holding him hostage was to draw them back out, yet knowing that they came back and knowing that they came back for  _ him _ were two completely different feelings. Yosuke shouldn’t have been happy that they were putting themselves in danger because of him, and part of him wasn’t, but a larger part of him--worn down by all the pain and fear that he’d been trying to repress in order to keep up a strong front--wanted to break down in tears from sheer relief and gratitude, and he had a feeling the only thing preventing him from doing so was the lack of a physical body to produce tears to begin with.

The cage shattered, but Yosuke’s relief was short-lived: the Shadow quickly realized that its hostage had been set free, and it wasn’t happy, not in the slightest.

Like hell Yosuke was going to let himself get captured again, though.

Moving without a body wasn’t exactly easy, but he was fueled by a mixture of desperation and quickly-rising panic as he avoided a swing of the Shadow’s clawed hand and rushed in the direction of safety.

Yosuke caught sight of Souji’s gaze locking onto him as he cleared the distance between them--and the realization in his partner’s eyes combined with Souji’s Persona appearing behind him, providing him the cover he needed to make it the rest of the way over to him, only served to spur him on faster until he found himself literally running into Souji, lacking the momentum to stop before he collided with--and  _ into _ \--his best friend’s chest.

The worst part was, he couldn’t even pull back. He was exhausted, so much so that he didn’t even have it in him to resist as something suddenly pulled him forward, until he was fully surrounded by darkness.

Unlike the oppressive darkness from the TV world and the cage he’d been trapped in, however, this darkness felt warm, and familiar, and  _ safe _ .

Too tired to piece together what just happened or where he was, Yosuke let his consciousness fade away for the first time in days, his fractured spirit desperately soaking up every last second of peaceful rest that he could get.

* * *

Yosuke suddenly jerked out of unconsciousness, phantom pain rushing through him and making him curl up on himself as he bit his lip to stifle the whimper that threatened to slip out.

_ I can’t do this anymore, I can’t, enough,  _ **_please--!!_ **

His breathing was shaky and labored as he tried to calm down, each breath feeling like more of a desperate gasp for air.

Except, even when the pain faded to an ache that was at least tolerable, his panic remained firmly in place as he realized that he had no idea where he was.

“What…?”

Yosuke looked around frantically, unable to see anything but darkness for miles in all directions, before trying to force himself to calm down enough to remember what exactly happened before he passed out.

He was apparently back in his body, or in his physical form at least--but how? Did it have to do with wherever he was right now? Did he escape? Or was this just another form of torture from that Shadow?

Why couldn't he calm down enough to just  _ remember what happened _ and  _ think straight? _

For better or worse, a familiar voice suddenly spoke up, catching him off-guard enough to make him jump and yelp.

**_Yosuke, calm down, it’s okay. You’re safe, I promise._ **

“P… Partner? What-- where are you? Where am  _ I? _ What’s going on?”

The sound of Souji’s voice soothed some of Yosuke’s panic, and he knew his partner wouldn’t lie to him--if Souji said this place was safe, then it was safe, which at least relieved the fear of any Shadows popping up to try and kick him while he was down.

Whatever panic had been eased by Souji’s words quickly returned with a vengeance, however, when he received no immediate reply, his mind going into overdrive with different possibilities.

“P-Partner? You, uh… y-you still there?” Yosuke inwardly kicked himself as soon as the words left his mouth, hating how pathetic he sounded--and how pathetic he felt, with his trembling arms wrapped around his chest as if searching for something to ground himself with.

**_Sorry, hold on, I was just updating the group. I’ll explain everything in a second._ **

Along with Souji’s words came a rush of  _ something _ , like a feeling of warmth and reassurance that washed over Yosuke, catching him off-guard as his face flushed in embarrassment.

Was he really that relieved just to hear Souji’s voice? He was even worse off than he thought.

“It’s fine, just checking! I can wait.” His trembling--while still present--had died down significantly in response to hearing Souji and the odd yet welcome feeling that came with it, and saying he could wait was almost the truth.

Almost.

**_Okay._ ** If Souji heard the relieved sigh that Yosuke let out in response to hearing his voice again, he made no mention of it, instead continuing to speak in that calm tone that always helped ground everyone no matter how tense the situation was.  **_I’m sure you have plenty of questions, but it might help to start with a question of my own. How much do you remember before you woke up here?_ **

Yosuke’s brows furrowed as he returned to the same question he’d tried asking himself before Souji spoke up, doing his best to think back--between being trapped and in pain, and waking up in this expanse of darkness,  _ something _ had happened, that much he was certain of.

Finally, it hit him, and his eyes widened as the memories started trickling back.

“That’s right, you guys showed up and busted me out of that cage, and… wait….” Realization began dawning on Yosuke as he put the pieces together. “I rushed towards you after the cage broke, and I ran into you, and… uh… ran  _ into _ you, I guess. So that means I’m… what, inside you?”

The words felt awkward and embarrassing on his tongue, but it was well worth the embarrassment as he felt contented pride washing over him in response--from Souji, Yosuke belatedly realized, which further cemented the fact of  _ holy crap I’m in partner’s  _ **_head_ ** .

Still, weird as it was, he couldn’t deny how nice the feeling was, even if there was no reason for Souji to be proud of him for coming to such an obvious conclusion.

(But wasn’t that the reason why it felt so nice? Souji always silently radiated pleased satisfaction any time Yosuke came to a conclusion that held any sort of weight, and from anyone else it would have seemed sarcastic or condescending but from Souji it was just a feeling of pure, genuine  _ pride _ that made Yosuke’s fragile ego preen happily.)

(Now wasn’t exactly the time to be thinking about this kind of stuff, though. Like, it  _ really _ wasn’t a good time. Could Souji hear his thoughts? Could he hear Souji’s thoughts? How the hell did any of this even work?)

“But wait, what happened to my body?” A hint of panic worked its way back into Yosuke’s tone as he thought about all the different possible scenarios: his body shutting down, already being declared dead--

**_You fell into a coma, and we brought you to the hospital. Figured it would be the safest place for you, with doctors to monitor your condition._ **

Yosuke let out a quiet sigh. It wasn’t the  _ best _ scenario, but it was a far cry from the worst.

Of course his partner would have still managed to stay calm and think of a logical solution even in that kind of situation. He was just that amazing.

“So I’m guessing I just have to get back into my body and everything will be alright?”

Yosuke tried to keep his tone optimistic, but he knew it couldn’t possibly be that easy, not when he still felt too weak to even move and his hands hadn’t fully stopped shaking from where he was still gripping his arms across his chest.

He could feel Souji’s concern in response--literally  _ feel _ it, not even figuratively--and while it was still a weird sensation to feel what someone else was feeling, it was also comforting in an odd way, knowing just how much his partner really cared about him.

Not that he’d ever doubted it, of course, but even after months of spending time with Souji, it was sometimes still difficult to tell what he was really thinking and feeling when he constantly looked so composed.

“Don’t worry about me, partner! I’ve managed to hold on for this long, right? I think I can manage a bit longer until you make it to the hospital.” A thought suddenly occurred to Yosuke, and his brows furrowed as he asked, “Where are you, anyway? Did you even leave the TV world yet?”

**_Not yet. I wanted to make sure you were alright first._ **

Yosuke couldn’t understand why Souji’s concern and consideration for his well-being were making him feel so flustered, but he chalked it up to the emotions attached to each of his partner’s words affecting him and left it at that for now.

(Emotions that Yosuke was quickly realizing he was going to constantly be on the receiving end of until he got back into his own body, since it was obvious that while Souji could stop himself from outwardly showing his emotions, he couldn’t exactly mentally shove his emotions aside since there was nowhere left for them to hide.)

(Oddly enough, however, it didn’t bother him. Far from it, honestly--and if he wasn’t so drained and eager to cling to the relief from his trauma that Souji was unintentionally providing him, he might have tried to figure out why exactly that was.)

“Thanks, partner.”

For what felt like the first time in forever, a smile worked its way onto Yosuke’s face, small but genuine as he closed his eyes and let himself bask in the warmth of his best friend’s mind.

He hoped Souji would be able to forgive him for using his mind like this--he knew it was weird, this whole  _ situation _ was weird but he was just so  _ exhausted _ , and there was something so comforting and familiar about just sitting and soaking in Souji’s calming presence, even if it was within Souji’s mind instead of physically by his side.

Another wave of feelings washed over him--warmth, reassurance, and another feeling that he couldn’t quite place yet made his heart instinctively swell--and he let out a soft sigh, the tension easing from his frame as he felt himself being lulled into a half-conscious state.

**_Get some rest. I’ll wake you up when we get to the hospital._ **

Yosuke nodded though Souji couldn’t see him, and he shifted without thinking to lay down as he let the peaceful feelings ease away any lingering pain and fear, allowing him to sink back into blissful unconsciousness.

* * *

Returning to consciousness was much more pleasant the second time around: awareness gradually trickled back to Yosuke instead of the pain that had harshly jolted him from his sleep before, and he was immensely grateful for it.

**_Ah, you’re awake._ **

The sound of Souji’s voice should have startled him, yet all Yosuke could feel was a comforting relief that made his face flood with heat. If it was literally anyone else in the universe, Yosuke knew he’d get teased relentlessly at best and outright made fun of at worst for letting himself show this much weakness, but this was  _ Souji’s _ mind--his partner was the last person to ever judge someone, and he’d been the only person (aside from Teddie) who had seen him at his worst.

It was embarrassing, but there wasn’t anyone else he could let his guard down around quite like Souji, and it made it that much easier for him to just ignore the blush heating up his cheeks and focus on the comforting feeling coming from his partner’s mind.

**_Did you sleep well?_ **

“Mmhm.” He was about to leave it at that, but his mouth got the better of him as he added, “Thanks to you.”

Yosuke couldn’t even bring himself to take back what he said if he wanted to, not when he felt a sudden surge of joy in response to his words, followed by an almost comically calm voice by comparison.

**_I see. That’s good, I’m glad I could help._ **

Yosuke almost laughed, just barely catching himself before the noise slipped out--but the feeling remained, along with a lightness in his chest that he hadn’t felt in what seemed like ages.

If Souji had given him that same response while they stood next to one another, or over the phone, or over a text, Yosuke would have just taken his words at face value and left it at that--but being able to feel the extent of just how glad Souji really was that he’d helped made Yosuke’s heart swell.

Was it really that simple to make Souji happy? Maybe he’d been doing a better job of being Souji’s partner than he realized, if he could get that kind of reaction from him with just a few honest words.

**_How are you feeling? Any better?_ **

“A bit, yeah. My body--uh, or well, not  _ body _ but like…  _ whatever _ I am right now--still feels a bit sluggish, but I think I slept off most of the pain, at least.”

**_You sound a lot calmer now, too._ **

“Got you to thank for that too, partner,” Yosuke replied with a soft smile. It wasn’t like there was anyone here besides the two of them anyway, and if all it took was a bit of honesty to make Souji happy, then it was well worth his embarrassment for all his best friend was doing for him (and had ever done for him, and would probably continue to do for him in the future too). “I really don’t think I’d be able to be this calm if I was stuck anywhere else.” Jokingly, he added, “I mean, I’m not even half this calm in my  _ own _ head most of the time.”

The happiness, Yosuke had been expecting--the fact that embarrassment was mixed in, however, caught Yosuke by complete surprise.

Had he actually managed to fluster Souji?  _ The _ Souji Seta, who never even batted an eye at the most embarrassing of TV world locations or at any of the girls that tried to catch his attention? Yosuke didn’t even think it was  _ possible _ for Souji to get embarrassed until now.

**_That’s… I’m sure you’re exaggerating._ ** And there was flustered hesitance in Souji’s tone, another first for the record books, which Yosuke was more than happy to take pride in despite his own embarrassment.  **_Regardless, as long as you’re calm and feeling a bit better, that’s what’s important._ **

It was only after Souji stopped speaking that Yosuke became aware of the faint sound of other voices, his brows furrowing in confusion before realization quickly set in.

“Are you with everyone else right now? I can kinda hear them, but they sound really far off.”

**_We’re on our way to the hospital. You can’t hear them very well because you’re in the back of my mind, most likely. I have to consciously try and talk to you for you to even hear me clearly._ **

(Well, at least that answered the question of whether or not they could hear each other’s thoughts, thankfully.)

**_I wonder…._ ** Souji trailed off for a moment, presumably falling into thought before speaking up once more.  **_You said you’re feeling a bit better, right? Are you up for moving around a bit?_ **

In response, Yosuke pushed himself up to his feet, testing his strength and nodding in satisfaction when his legs didn’t give out on him. “Got something in mind, partner?”

**_Besides you?_ **

“Ha ha, very funny.” Yosuke rolled his eyes, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards in amusement despite his sarcastic tone. He was cut off from giving any further response as a door suddenly appeared in front of him, startling him into jumping backwards slightly. “Shit-- partner, give me a little warning next time!”

**_Sorry, I wasn’t sure whether or not that would even work. I didn’t mean to startle you. Are you alright?_ **

Yosuke immediately felt the guilt and worry that came along with Souji’s words, and he hastily stammered out a reply if only to make himself stop feeling like he’d just accidentally kicked a puppy. “Dude, it’s all good, I’m fine! Just caught me off-guard a bit, but I’m alright, I promise.” Eager to move on before Souji could apologize again, Yosuke approached the door, examining it curiously. “Why a blue door, though?”

**_Blue-- oh, is that how it appeared?_ ** Souji’s amusement was just about as confusing as his response.  **_I guess when I think of doors now, that’s the first one that comes to mind. Sorry about that, it should be fine. I think._ **

“You  _ think? _ ” Suddenly Yosuke wasn’t feeling too sure about whatever his partner was planning.

**_Yeah, you shouldn’t end up anywhere weird. Probably._ **

“Not doing much to inspire confidence here, partner.”

**_Just try going through it,_ ** Souji urged, clearly still amused.  **_You’re in my mind, nothing bad’s going to happen to you. I promise._ **

Yosuke couldn’t help the heat that flooded his cheeks as he muttered, “Yeah, I know.”

Before Souji could respond--and before Yosuke could lose his nerve--he grabbed the doorknob and pulled it open before speed-walking through the doorway.

There was a sudden, blinding light, and he grimaced, flinching backwards as the silence he’d started getting used to in Souji’s mind was suddenly replaced by a cacophony of noise.

**_Easy now, I think you moved a little too far up a bit too quickly. Try taking a few steps back and see if that helps._ **

Souji’s voice was a bit louder now but no less soothing, and he did as told with no questions asked, letting out a relieved sigh when the light and sound both settled into a level that was much more tolerable after coming from complete darkness and silence.

The first thing that Yosuke became aware of was the sight of his friends--and he never thought he’d understand the phrase  _ a sight for sore eyes _ before now, but seeing them all smiling and walking together made his heart swell in relief, as did hearing the sound of their voices speaking amongst one another.

It only hit him that he was looking at everyone through Souji’s eyes when they all glanced over at him with various degrees of concern.

“Are you okay, Senpai?” Rise was the first to ask, looking up at him worriedly.

“I bet Yosuke’s just giving him a headache,” Chie remarked lightly, and if it hadn’t been for the clear concern in her eyes that belied her joking tone, Yosuke would have gotten annoyed by the comment.

“I’m fine, and that’s not it,” Souji responded, and Yosuke couldn’t help but feel slightly odd as he listened to Souji’s voice through Souji’s ears--it felt different than hearing him speak directly in his own mind, in a way Yosuke couldn’t quite put his finger on. “He woke up and was feeling a little bit better, so I wanted to try something to give him a bit of a change of scenery, so to speak.”

Yosuke couldn’t help but smile slightly at that--a “change of scenery” indeed. This was definitely a huge difference from being surrounded by nothing but darkness, and as much as he enjoyed the tranquility and warmth of Souji’s mind (which he didn’t think he could ever bring himself to admit aloud), it was nice to be able to see some color and light and familiar faces after what felt like forever.

Yukiko was the first to perk up in realization, her eyes practically sparkling in excitement as she leaned towards Souji. “You mean you’re letting him possess--”

“Yukiko-senpai,” Rise quickly cut Yukiko off before she could continue, “we already went over this, Yosuke-senpai’s not a…  _ you know _ .”

“I’m still in control, he’s just watching and listening,” Souji replied with a touch of amusement.

“Interesting…,” Naoto murmured, observing him in intrigue. “So you’re sharing the forefront of your mind with him to allow access to your senses, then.”

“Essentially, yes. Sight and hearing, specifically--everything might be too much for him at once, since he’s still recovering.”

Chie moved over to Souji once the initial talk of possession passed, leaning in almost uncomfortably close to Souji’s face and staring into his eyes as she hummed in thought. “So Yosuke’s really,  _ seriously _ in there?”

Souji put his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her a step backwards. “Yes, and he sees whatever I see, so you really don’t have to get that close.”

“Woah, that’s pretty cool!” Kanji was next to crowd in on him, his already loud voice growing in volume. “Yo, Yosuke-senpai! We're gonna get you back into your body soon, so you’d better give Senpai any trouble while you're in there, you hear?!”

Souji’s normally impassive expression twisted in a brief grimace as he covered his ear to save what was left of his eardrum. “He can hear whatever I hear too, so you don’t have to shout,” he commented dryly.

He was startled by the sudden sound of laughter in his head--the sound having started off as a slow, wary chuckle when Chie leaned in close but quickly grew into full-blown laughter at Kanji’s exclamation--but a smile quickly began to tug at the corners of his lips as he felt Yosuke’s amusement bleeding out into him.

“ _ God, th-- ahah-- they’re such dumbasses, I-- I can’t-- _ ”

Souji could feel the unbridled affection and gratitude that Yosuke was exuding towards their friends through his laughter, light and happy with the simple realization that they all were thinking of him and worrying about him in their own ways.

It was such a beautiful sound, and it made Souji’s heart swell to get to hear it.

“Well, you both made Yosuke laugh, so if that was your intention then congratulations.”

Immediately, Souji regretted his words given who he was talking to, as Chie and Kanji both rounded on him and demanded to know why Yosuke was laughing at them.

Thankfully, Yukiko and Naoto managed to talk them down and ease them away from Souji, and Yosuke’s laughter died down into soft occasional chuckles as he tried to catch his breath, allowing Souji to focus on Teddie as the bear moved over to his side.

“Sensei, you said Yosuke was laughing--that means he’s all better now, right?”

Souji gave Teddie a reassuring smile. “He’s doing much better than before.”

**_Right?_ ** He asked, gently questioning Yosuke.  **_I hope you’re not straining yourself being here like this._ **

“ _ You worry too much, partner! I’m fine, I promise. _ ”

The slight wave of dizziness that hit Yosuke--and by proximity, Souji as well--was as obvious of a contradiction to Yosuke’s words as humanly possible, and Souji felt Yosuke grimace in response.

“ _ Okay, okay, fine, I guess all this kinda is taking a lot out of me. _ ”

**_Pull back and try and get a bit more rest. We’re almost at the bus to the hospital._ **

Yosuke couldn’t help but sigh as he wordlessly obeyed the order and carefully backed the rest of the way through the door frame, all light and sound immediately vanishing as soon as the door was closed.

**_I’m sorry. I just don’t want you straining yourself._ **

“It’s okay, don’t worry about it,” Yosuke replied, waving off Souji’s apology and sitting back down with an exhausted sigh. “It was the right call, I didn’t realize how draining that was until now.” Before Souji could apologize again, he added, “But I think I really needed that. Thanks, partner.”

Yosuke couldn’t help but smile as Souji’s guilt shifted to pleased relief, even as his voice remained the same.

**_I’m glad, then. Now try and relax for a bit, and I’ll let you know when we get to the hospital._ **

“Bumming out? I think I can handle an order like that.” Yosuke laughed softly as he leaned back and made himself comfortable.

Now that he’d returned to (presumably) the back of Souji’s mind, he was more aware of just how little energy he really had left: it was taking everything he had to even move his body enough to get comfortable, now that he was finally sitting back down, and his hands had begun to shake again, though this time from overexertion rather than panic.

That damn Shadow really did a number on him, as much as he hated to admit it--but in the end, as long as he could get back into his body, that was all that mattered. He could even use the excuse of being in the hospital to get the few days’ (or weeks’) rest that he was desperately craving.

There was a small feeling of dread that began creeping up in the back of his mind, but Yosuke stubbornly pushed it away.

Everything would be fine once he was back in his own body, he just knew it.

It had to be.

* * *

Though Yosuke was supposed to be resting, the more he thought about finally getting back into his body after the longest, most hellish few days of his life, the more restless he got. He did his best to stay still, not wanting to worry Souji--but as soon as he caught the slightest hint of a distant voice mentioning his name, he sprung back up to his feet, exhaustion forgotten in favor of trying to listen to whatever conversation was happening.

It sounded like an adult was speaking with Souji, and Yosuke could only assume it was a doctor, which meant he'd arrived at the hospital, which meant Yosuke would be able to go back to his body soon--

Yosuke turned his attention over to the blue door in front of him, approaching it and tentatively turning the knob to find it unlocked.

That had to mean that Souji wouldn't mind if he took a peek and listened in, right?

Unable to sit still any longer, Yosuke carefully opened the door and slipped through, making sure not to repeat the same mistake of moving too far forward too quickly as he took slow steps until his vision adjusted and the voices reached his ears more clearly.

**_I thought you were supposed to be resting,_ ** came Souji's wry voice, and though Yosuke flinched guiltily as he was immediately caught, he also couldn’t help but feel relieved that Souji didn't sound or feel annoyed about Yosuke essentially using his eyes and ears without explicit permission.

" _ Sorry partner, I was getting a bit restless, _ " Yosuke replied sheepishly.

**_It's fine, just don't push yourself. We're just waiting for the doctors to leave before we try anything._ **

Souji's gaze moved away from the doctors in question and down to the hospital bed that he and the rest of their friends were standing around, and Yosuke immediately felt sick at the sight of his own body, pale and hooked up with machinery and IVs.

**_It's all just precautionary,_ ** Souji quickly reassured him.  **_The doctors have been monitoring your condition, and you've been stable this whole time. It's not as bad as it looks._ **

Hearing that was a relief, but the image of his own body in such a sorry state was already burned into his mind, filling him with dread that he couldn't shake off.

**_You okay?_ **

The concern he felt from Souji soothed at least some of the negativity weighing him down, and he managed to muster up a light tone to his voice if only to put Souji's mind at ease.

" _ I'm fine, don't worry! I mean yeah, it's a bit weird seeing my own body like this, but weird's pretty much a part of the norm by now, right? _ "

At least that managed to pull the slightest bit of amusement from Souji, much to Yosuke's relief.

**_True. Just… don't push yourself, alright?_ **

" _ I know, I know. Seriously partner, you worry way too much--you’re gonna give yourself grays at this rate, _ " Yosuke teased.

Souji gave no response save for what Yosuke could only describe as the mental equivalent of an eye roll, but Yosuke figured he could take Souji backing down as one small victory for him if nothing else.

It took a few more minutes before the doctors finally left the group alone in the room, and Souji wasted no time in quietly giving orders, much to Yosuke's relief.

"Yukiko, Chie, stand guard by the door. Keep an eye out for any doctors or nurses approaching the room. Naoto, I caught one security camera in the room; did you see any others?"

Naoto shook her head. "It seems that the rooms are under low surveillance."

"Good. Kanji, I want you to block the camera--casually, just move a bit more to the side, now turn a bit towards Teddie… good, that should be perfect." Souji glanced at Naoto for confirmation, moving on once he received a nod in response.

**_Alright, Yosuke. I need you to go back through the door, and I'll help guide you out._ **

" _ R… right. _ "

Yosuke did as told, forcefully ignoring the nervousness that was suddenly beginning to build up as he suddenly realized that he'd been so focused on just going back to his body, that he never bothered to think about  _ how _ he was getting back into his body.

"Um, partner? You…  _ do _ know what you're doing, right?"

**_Just trust me._ **

Yosuke did trust Souji, more than he'd ever trusted anyone in his entire life, but that didn't stop the sudden surge of fear as he felt something grabbing him and pulling him forward--and to make it worse, he barely even had the strength to squirm in the invisible hold, let alone to pull away.

**_Relax, it's just me. It's okay, you're okay._ **

Yosuke took a shaky breath and tried to relax, squeezing his eyes shut and reminding himself over and over that the feeling gripping and moving him was Souji and not that sadistic Shadow--

And then he devolved straight into panic when his body changed back into that small ball of light that the Shadow had trapped him in.

There were giant hands around him and too many huge bodies around him and huge faces staring down at him and--

"Yosuke."

Souji's voice, calm and even as always, broke through Yosuke's panic enough for him to realize who was holding him--and while he still felt incredibly unnerved, he also felt marginally better knowing that he was (quite literally) in good hands and not somewhere that was going to try and torture him yet again.

Once Souji was sure that Yosuke had calmed down--or at least, calmed down as much as possible given the circumstances--he slowly moved his cupped hands over to Yosuke's chest before carefully setting his soul down.

Relieved to finally be able to return to his body and be done with this crazy nightmare, Yosuke focused on pushing himself down, trying to enter his chest--

Only to mentally let out a yelp as he bounced back, stumbling in the air before steadying himself.

_ What the hell? _

Yosuke charged back at his chest, his frustration and panic building as he was rejected from his own body again, and again, and  _ again _ \--

"Yosuke, enough!"

A pair of hands suddenly closed around him, trapping him and preventing him from trying to force his way back into his body again, and his panic reached a breaking point as he struggled and thrashed weakly to free himself.

_ Stop it please let me go  _ **_let me go_ ** _ \-- _

There was a sudden tugging, and then Yosuke found himself surrounded by darkness once more, his breathing coming in shaky gasps and his trembling body curling in on itself.

**_Yosuke, it's okay--_ **

"It's  _ not _ okay!!" Yosuke snapped, his voice rising in pitch hysterically. "Nothing about this is  _ okay! _ I can't even go back into  _ my own  _ **_body!!_ ** I'm  _ trapped _ here when I just want everything to go back to  _ normal!! _ "

Souji fell silent, but his palpable guilt spoke volumes, which only made Yosuke feel worse as he curled in on himself further.

What the hell was he doing? Souji had been doing nothing but trying to help him, and how was he repaying that? By snapping at Souji and making Souji feel like he was keeping Yosuke trapped, when they both knew he was just protecting him?

What if Souji got angry with him? What if he decided to force Yosuke back out for acting like an asshole, and he would have to go back to being stuck as a small ball of light where everyone and everything was bigger than him and anyone could come along and capture him and hurt him and--

"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry--"

Souji's heart clenched as he listened to his best friend's mental state rapidly deteriorating, and he didn't even realize that he'd collapsed into the chair next to the hospital bed until he felt a hesitant hand coming to rest on his shoulder. He looked up to find Rise looking down at him in concern, and a quick glance around the room showed the rest of his team in similar states of worry.

"Is Yosuke-senpai…?" Rise asked warily, already knowing the answer even before Souji shook his head.

"He's not okay." Even just saying it aloud filled Souji with another surge of guilt, and he dropped his gaze to his lap, trying his best to remain composed. "I… had a feeling this might happen, but he wanted to go back to his body quickly, and I couldn't… after everything he went through, how could I possibly say 'you can't, I don't think it will work'?" Souji wrung his hands and let out a long sigh. "He's just too weak right now. He hardly got an hour's worth of sleep between leaving the TV world and now, and he's been awake and tortured by that Shadow for days--I would have been more surprised if he  _ had _ managed to force his way back into his body."

The room was filled with a troubled silence in the wake of Souji's words, and he let out another sigh before looking back up at his teammates.

"Everyone, go home and get some rest. I'm… going to stay for a little longer."

Though reluctant, the group eventually filed out of the room one and two at a time until Souji was the only one left--and only then did Souji allow his composed facade to briefly crack as he reached out to gently take the comatose Yosuke's hand in his own.

He took a shaky breath as he pressed his forehead against the back of Yosuke's hand, forcing himself to rein in his guilt and sorrow as much as he wanted to break down--that wasn't going to help Yosuke, not when he was still borderline hysterical with panic, frustration, and fear.

Closing his eyes, Souji turned his focus inward. If he could make a door manifest in his mind, then there was no reason why he shouldn't be able to do more to help his best friend, no matter how much he strained his mind to do it.

* * *

The longer Yosuke went without hearing Souji's voice, the more his panic grew.

What had once been a comforting warmth in Souji's mind became suffocating as he waited with his eyes squeezed shut for the moment when Souji would say that he was done putting up with Yosuke's shit, and then he would force him out and Yosuke wouldn't even be able to stop him because he was too weak and Souji didn't want to talk to him anymore and--

He jolted as he suddenly felt something wrap around him, and he whimpered and weakly tried to pull free, only to freeze as he felt a warm breath near his ear and heard a familiar voice speaking in a low, soothing tone.

"Shh… it's okay, it's just me."

Yosuke's breath hitched, his eyes shooting open in stunned shock as he realized that Souji was somehow in front of him, holding him close, and there was a hand gently running through his hair and a comforting feeling of reassurance washing over him, and--

And suddenly Yosuke was crying, sobbing and shaking as he clung to Souji desperately.

Souji focused on murmuring soft reassurances as he rubbed Yosuke's back and continued running his fingers through Yosuke's hair, wanting to soothe his best friend however he possibly could.

"It's okay, Yosuke, everything's going to be okay. You just need to rest and regain your strength, and you'll be able to go back to your body like normal, I promise."

"I-I'm sorry p-- partner, I'm-- I'm really s-sorry--"

Souji quietly shushed Yosuke, trying his best to keep his whole demeanor as gentle and reassuring as possible--and only when he felt the echo of those feelings around him in his mind did he belatedly realize that everything he'd been feeling since he first took Yosuke in must have been reaching him as well, much to Souji's embarrassment.

Still, even despite his embarrassment, he couldn't help but feel relieved as Yosuke let out a soft sigh and relaxed against him in response, his sobs dying down to quiet hiccups and his shaking settling into smaller, occasional trembles.

Alright. Souji could work with this.

He tentatively focused again on filling his mind with reassurance and warmth, and though he was unable to stop the fond affection from slipping in with it (to his further embarrassment), it was well worth it when Yosuke melted against him with a quiet noise, his face flushed as he nuzzled against Souji.

"Partner…."

Souji swallowed thickly. This was… definitely a stronger reaction than anticipated, though certainly not unwelcome, especially in comparison to Yosuke panicking and sobbing.

"I'm here." Souji continued running his fingers through Yosuke's hair, trying to keep the feelings filling his mind as warm and soothing as he could. "You're safe here."

_ Safe…. _ Yosuke's mind, fuzzy with exhaustion and the almost hypnotizing warmth that Souji was providing, latched onto the reminder just as much as his arms had latched on to Souji's body.

Souji would never get angry with him, he would never force him out and leave him to fend for himself like this. Souji was his safe place, he always had been from the very first moment that he--a complete stranger--had stopped to help Yosuke while everyone else had turned a blind eye to his struggles and kept walking.

Yosuke dazedly pressed closer to Souji, snuggling against him with another soft, pleased sigh. He knew in the back of his mind that he would be mortified by his behavior once he was rested enough to think clearly, but right now, surrounded by Souji's warm and soothing presence, he couldn't bring himself to care so long as Souji was okay with this and wasn't pushing him away.

He could feel the fractures in his soul mending simply from Souji's presence surrounding him: his arms, his hands, his body, his mind… Souji was  _ everywhere _ , and logically it should have freaked him out that he was essentially at Souji's mercy--Souji could do literally anything to him and he wouldn't be able stop him, just like he hadn't been able to stop the Shadow that tortured him for its own amusement--yet all Yosuke could feel was relief.

Souji could be doing anything at all to him, and he was choosing to do everything in his power to make Yosuke feel calm and safe, even despite Yosuke acting like an asshole and snapping at him.

Yosuke teared up again, a small whimper slipping out unbidden as he felt Souji pull back slightly only to relax as Souji's hands moved to cup Yosuke’s cheeks, gently wiping away his tears as Souji looked at him with the softest expression Yosuke had ever seen his partner make.

"Everything's okay," Souji reminded him quietly.

"Everything's… everything's okay," Yosuke repeated quietly, his blush darkening and a soft, pleased noise slipping out as he felt a swell of affectionate pride wash over him in response.

"That's right." Souji moved his hand back up to run through Yosuke's hair, smiling as Yosuke immediately leaned into the touch with another content sigh. "Do you feel a bit better?"

"Mhmm."

Yosuke's eyes drifted closed, and Souji couldn't help but take in the sight of his best friend and crush sitting in front of him, flushed and relaxed and happily soaking up any and all touches that Souji could give him.

He was beautiful, and Souji felt almost guilty for a moment, like he was taking advantage of Yosuke's vulnerability and influencing him too much--but he couldn't bring himself to regret it, not when Yosuke looked so pleased and at peace.

If Yosuke got embarrassed or angry with him once he could think clearly, then Souji would apologize and hope for the best.

(Knowing how touchy Yosuke was about guys even so much as hinting towards acting like anything other than completely platonic friends towards him, Souji really,  _ really _ hoped Yosuke wouldn't blow up at him over all of this, even if he'd honestly done it just to help Yosuke calm down.)

"Why don't you get some more rest?" Souji gently suggested. "The more sleep you get, the faster you'll get your strength back."

Much to Souji's embarrassment, Yosuke moved back over to him instead of laying down, wrapping his arms around him and settling against him with a soft sigh.

"Thanks, partner," Yosuke murmured.

Souji couldn't help the swell of affection that rushed through him as he smiled, which in turn prompted another soft noise from Yosuke as he nuzzled closer to Souji in response with a dazed smile of his own.

"Anytime, partner," Souji replied quietly, running his fingers through Yosuke's hair and continuing to hold him long after his breathing evened out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, closing my eyes and hitting post: I'm sorry world for subjecting you to this weird nonsense


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sticks my head in the ground like an ostrich* I am simultaneously flattered overjoyed and embarrassed that people are really enjoying this fic, thank you all so much for your kind words and support skdfj

The first thing that Yosuke noticed when he woke up was that he was alone.

Which brought about the question of why he expected to  _ not _ wake up alone, which then belatedly brought back a rush of memories that made his cheeks burn in mortification as he rolled over and hid his face in his hands.

God, what was  _ wrong _ with him? He'd just made himself look weak in front of all of his friends, had a literal mental breakdown on Souji, and-- and what the  _ hell _ was with how he'd acted after he started crying?

He was pathetic. Beyond pathetic, even.

**_Yosuke? Are you alright?_ **

Yosuke flinched at the sound of Souji's voice, his blush darkening in shame.

"I… yeah, I just…." He hesitated for a moment before moving his hands off of his face and forcing himself to speak. "Hey, look, a-about before--"

**_I'm sorry._ **

Yosuke blinked, genuinely confused by both Souji's words and the guilt attached to them.

**_If I made you uncomfortable, it wasn't my intention--_ **

Yosuke quickly sat up in protest. "What? No, that's not it!" Embarrassing as it was to admit, it was the truth--he really  _ hadn't _ felt uncomfortable, far from it if he was honest with himself. "I'm the one that should be apologizing. I have no idea what came over me, but I was acting really out of it and I'm sorry you had to put up with me acting like an emotional wreck."

**_Yosuke…._ **

Yosuke's face burned as he felt a warm reassurance washing over him, his heart pounding as he swore he felt something gently brushing through his hair--though it was impossible to tell whether it was his mind playing tricks on him or if it had actually been Souji's doing.

The worst part was it actually  _ could have _ been Souji--if he could make doors and his own body appear in his mind, then there was no telling what else he could possibly do--and Yosuke genuinely couldn't bring himself to feel anything other than a weird mix of soothed and embarrassed by the thought.

**_I'm never "putting up with" you, first of all,_ ** Souji gently reprimanded him, and Yosuke couldn't help the smile that tugged at the corners of his lips in response.  **_Second of all, we're partners, aren't we? I'm sure you would do anything to help me, just like I would do anything to help you._ **

Yosuke's heart lifted at the word  _ partners _ \--it wasn't often that Souji called him his partner, at least not compared to how often Yosuke said it, and though it was never a doubt in his mind to begin with, it was still always a welcome reminder that Souji valued him just as much as he valued Souji.

"Yeah, that's true." Sheepishly, Yosuke added, "Still, it was pretty lame of me to break down on you like that. Could you just keep that between us?"

**_I wouldn't say it was lame. You've hardly had any time to rest, and you were upset and scared--anyone would have broken down after going through everything you went through._ **

Though it was embarrassing, Yosuke couldn't help but feel relieved by Souji's reassurance that there hadn't been anything wrong with how he'd acted.

**_Regardless, it goes without saying that I won't tell anyone,_ ** Souji added.  **_Everything that's said here and that happens here will stay between us, you have my word._ **

Yosuke smiled. "Thanks, partner. You really are one hell of a guy, y'know that?" As he felt Souji's confusion, Yosuke couldn't help but laugh. "Dude, I think you're the only person who would do all of this, especially for me--most people don't even want to put up with me in person, let alone in their head."

**_Well, most people don’t know you like I do,_ ** came Souji’s immediate reply, without an ounce of hesitation, and it made Yosuke’s heart swell in response.

Souji really was the best partner he could ever ask for.

“Anyway,” Yosuke continued, deciding to move on from what he quickly realized would just become a cycle of him putting himself down and Souji trying to lift him back up (which he still felt that he didn’t deserve, yet couldn’t help but enjoy regardless, despite his embarrassment), “are you still at the hospital, or…?”

Yosuke’s smile died down slightly as he realized that being constantly surrounded by darkness made it difficult to judge the passage of time. How long had he even been asleep for? He couldn’t even go by whether or not he felt less drained, since there was still a faint, lingering exhaustion in his body (or his soul, whatever) that hadn’t completely gone away despite taking a few naps already.

**_I stayed until visiting hours were up, and I just got back home._ ** To answer Yosuke’s unspoken question, he added,  **_You were asleep for a few hours._ **

“Guess that’d explain why I’m feeling a bit better than before,” Yosuke replied, stretching a bit before pushing himself up to his feet.

**_You can come up front, if you’re feeling up to it. I’m just cooking dinner for me and Nanako._ **

“Might as well--as long as you don’t mind,” Yosuke quickly added, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

Souji’s reply came in the form of a gentle, invisible push towards the door, and Yosuke couldn’t help but laugh slightly even as he stumbled a bit.

“Alright, alright, I get it, you’re fine with all this.” Yosuke’s smile widened slightly as he felt Souji’s satisfaction, and he could almost picture him giving a small, content nod in response. “Thanks, partner.”

**_Anytime, partner._ **

The reply brought with it the echo of memories from before he’d fallen asleep, causing Yosuke to blush lightly, but he pushed aside his embarrassment and instead focused on grasping the doorknob and pulling the door open. He carefully made his way through the doorway, giving his senses the chance to adjust as his vision slowly became filled with the sight of the Dojima kitchen, and his hearing became filled with the quiet sounds of a pot boiling on the stove and the TV playing in the living room.

All in all, it was peaceful and familiar, given all the times he’d hung out with Souji and Nanako at their house. The only unfamiliar part was looking through the eyes of the person preparing the food, instead of standing aside out of Souji’s way and watching him move around the kitchen grabbing this and that.

“ _ I feel like I should be taking notes, getting to watch the master chef in action like this. _ ”

Souji let out a quiet huff of laughter at that, an amused smile tugging at the corners of his lips.  **_I wouldn’t call myself a master chef, but if you really wanted a cooking lesson, you know I’d be more than happy to teach you._ **

“ _I think the girls need the lessons more than I do,_ ” Yosuke replied with an amused chuckle. “ _Besides, I doubt any of it would stick even if you did try and teach me, anyway._ ”

**_You don’t give yourself nearly enough credit, Yosuke. You’re very quick to pick things up, so long as you apply yourself._ **

Yosuke wasn’t sure whether to feel flustered or pleased by Souji’s confidence in him, and his mind settled on an embarrassing mix of both that Souji must have felt, since he let out another quiet laugh.

“ _ Wh-what? Why are you laughing? _ ”

**_I’m just glad to have you here with me, that’s all._ **

The honesty in Souji’s tone caught Yosuke off-guard, and his heart lifted in response. “ _ Thanks, partner. I’m glad to be here. _ ”

**_… Are you really?_ **

Yosuke’s good mood immediately deflated as guilt washed over him, remembering how he’d acted and the things he’d said to Souji in his fit of panic. “ _ I… the stuff I said while I was freaking out-- I didn’t really mean it, I swear. I mean yeah, it kinda sucks that I can’t go back to my body yet, but honestly there’s no place I’d rather be than here with you. _ ”

Souji was quiet for a moment, and Yosuke could practically feel him trying to tell whether his words were sincere or if they were just said to placate him.

“ _ Please trust me, partner…. _ ”

Apparently his final plea was enough to sway Souji, as he felt his wariness and guilt being replaced with relief mixed with that same warm feeling that Yosuke couldn’t quite pin down, yet made his heart swell each time he felt it.

**_Of course I trust you… but please, if I ever do anything that makes you uncomfortable--_ **

“ _ Dude, I promise you, there’s nothing you could do that would make me uncomfortable, _ ” Yosuke cut Souji off with a laugh, his words surprisingly genuine even to himself--it was a bit embarrassing to admit, but he trusted Souji enough to feel safe in his mind, where Souji could do literally anything to him. Part of it was just from knowing that Souji would never take advantage of that kind of power (or at least, not in a way that would hurt him), and part of it--even more embarrassingly--was because he just… genuinely couldn’t think of anything that Souji could even  _ do _ to him that would make him uncomfortable.

The feeling of warmth that washed over him in response was well worth his embarrassment, and he just barely managed to hold back a pleased sigh as he relaxed into it, feeling content just from the simple fact that he’d made his partner happy.

**_Thank you, Yosuke. I appreciate your trust more than I could ever say._ **

“ _ Feeling’s mutual, partner, _ ” Yosuke replied with a smile.

Yosuke’s happiness was infectious, and the corners of Souji’s lips turned upwards without his realizing in response as he turned his attention back to the rest of his dinner preparations, his spirits lifted just from having his best friend with him and in better shape than he’d been since Souji first rescued him.

Souji hummed quietly to himself as he cooked, Yosuke’s lighthearted commentary as he worked prompting a few quiet chuckles from him, and he only remembered that he and Yosuke weren’t the only ones in the house when he suddenly felt a small pair of arms wrapping around his waist.

“Nanako?”

Souji looked down at the girl in question, briefly concerned before relaxing as he saw her bright smile.

“Big Bro, you’re smiling again!!”

Souji blinked in bewilderment and reached up to touch his lips, finding that he was indeed smiling, and he breathed out a quiet laugh as he replied, “So I am.”

“I’m so glad! Does that mean Yosuke-nii is better now?”

The question caught both Souji and Yosuke off-guard, mixed feelings of guilt and confusion shared between them as Souji replied, “In a sense, I suppose….”

“That’s great!” Nanako’s smile dimmed slightly as she added, “I was really worried about you, Big Bro… you looked so sad all the time, after Yosuke-nii went to the hospital. You weren’t eating or sleeping… I've never heard you cry like that before, either; it was really scary….”

Souji stiffened, his face flooding with heat in mortification--and though rationally he knew that Nanako meant no harm, and that there was no way she could have known someone else was listening in on something so private, he still couldn’t help but react without thinking.

Before Yosuke could so much as question his partner, he let out a yelp as he was suddenly tugged backwards, the sudden shift from colors and noise to darkness and silence leaving him disoriented for a moment.

Only the pointed sound of a lock clicking snapped Yosuke back to attention, and he grabbed the doorknob in front of him, nervousness, concern, and irritation all mixing together as he tried and failed to get the door to open.

“Souji, what the hell?!” Yosuke stubbornly tugged at the door a few times before giving up and resting his head against it instead, trying to push his irritation aside--though as soon as hurt took its place, he almost wished he could go back to being angry. “What the hell…. Don’t shut me out, partner….”

The silence that followed was oppressive, stifling in a way that made Yosuke's chest clench, and he was about to shout for Souji to stop ignoring him only to get beaten to the punch.

**_You weren’t supposed to hear any of that._ **

Yosuke tensed at the sound of Souji’s voice, a shiver running down his spine as he realized Souji’s voice was devoid of the emotions he’d grown used to feeling attached to them.

“Why not? What's the big deal?" Yosuke questioned, trying to keep his own tone just as even.

**_The “big deal” is that I’m supposed to be the leader._ ** Finally, there was a crack in Souji's composure, and the slightest bit of guilt slipped through.  **_I'm supposed to stay calm and in control no matter the situation, but… I just…._ **

"Partner… you're an idiot."

The stunned shock from Souji would have made Yosuke laugh if he wasn’t too busy feeling a mix of frustrated and guilty that he--and everyone else on the Investigation Team--had been unknowingly putting that kind of pressure on Souji.

"Do you really think we'd expect that from you? We just made you the leader since you've got a good head on your shoulders and you seemed to have a knack for it. It's not like we were expecting you to be this perfect stoic commander or something--you're a kid just like us, who got dragged into the same crazy shit that we did, and probably even  _ more _ crazy shit than we could ever understand with all that "Wild Card" stuff you told us about. We'd never want you to feel like you have to hide whenever you're upset, just like I know you'd never want any of us hiding whenever we're upset from you."

Yosuke's words were followed by silence, though it felt less nerve-wracking than before--he could tell just from the change in the feeling of Souji's mind that he wasn't ignoring Yosuke; he was just privately mulling over his words, and Yosuke was fine with giving him however much time he needed.

Finally, Souji spoke up, but his words completely caught Yosuke off-guard.

**_I didn't want you to think badly of me._ **

"For what, getting upset and crying?? Dude, I think I'm the  _ last _ person who could judge you for that after I was sobbing all over you before." That at least brought the slightest hint of amusement out of Souji, much to Yosuke's relief, and he decided to take a chance and keep talking. "To be honest, partner… I know it probably sounds crappy of me to think this, but I was kinda… happy?"

Yosuke forced himself to continue as he felt Souji's confusion. "I mean… it made me feel like we were a bit more equal, like "oh, even Souji has times when he breaks down", and, well-- I don't… I don't  _ want _ you to be perfect, because then I can never stand on equal footing with you, and I know that's really selfish of me to think but--"

He cut off as he felt warm reassurance washing over him, his face flushing lightly as the tension that he hadn't even realized had gripped him slowly melted away.

"And, well… it kinda… also made me happy to know that you cared enough to cry over me in the first place," Yosuke murmured. "I've never had someone like you in my life before, partner. No one else would even bat an eye if I just up and vanished, or if I--"

**_That isn't true._ ** Souji firmly cut Yosuke off.  **_Everyone else… all of our friends were worried sick about you. They still are._ **

Yosuke's heart lifted at that, a smile working its way onto his face even as he replied, "Yeah, but I doubt they were losing sleep and not eating because of me."

**_I was scared._ **

The admission took Yosuke completely by surprise, his smile quickly fading. "Scared…?"

**_I thought I lost you, Yosuke. I thought… because of me, you were…._ **

Yosuke could tell that even now, Souji was trying to rein his emotions in, but the small bit that abruptly washed over him-- _ grief, terror, heartache, frustration, self-loathing _ \--was overwhelming enough to bring Yosuke to his knees, his body shaking and empathetic tears stinging his eyes.

"You…," Yosuke paused, trying to work past the lump in his throat--from Souji's feelings, and from the knowledge that his partner cared about him that much, that he would be so torn up over the thought of losing him--before finally speaking again. "You didn't lose me, partner. I'm here, I'm  _ safe _ , because of you. I… you saved my life, partner. Not even for the first time, now that I think about it." Yosuke let out a soft, choked-up laugh. "You've been saving my ass ever since the day you pulled me out of that trash can. Knowing my luck, I probably would've suffocated in there if you didn't help me out."

At least that pulled a hint of amusement from Souji, much to Yosuke's relief.

“Everything’s okay--you’re the one that told me that, right? So don’t beat yourself up over what happened. It’s in the past, and as long as I’m  _ okay _ and  _ alive _ and  _ safe _ , that’s all that matters. Alright?”

Finally, the last of the tension gave way to the relaxed warmth that Yosuke had grown used to mixed with gratitude, and Yosuke relaxed in response, a small, relieved smile on his face.

**_Thank you, Yosuke. I’m…._ ** Souji hesitated, embarrassment clear in his tone,  **_I’m sorry about all of that. You’re the one in a difficult position right now, I shouldn’t have--_ **

“I’m gonna stop you right there, partner,” Yosuke firmly cut Souji off, though there was still a smile on his face as he spoke. “It doesn’t matter what kind of position I’m in--you have every right to feel however you’re feeling, whenever you’re feeling it. Besides, like I said before, you already dealt with me freaking out on you and sobbing all over you; at least now we’re almost even.”

**_Almost?_ **

“My freakout was  _ way _ worse than yours, dude. I think you’ve got a free pass for at least two more before we’re officially even.”

The laughter that followed was like music to Yosuke’s ears, his smile widening into a grin--he didn’t consider himself the best at consoling people and offering advice like Souji was, but if nothing else, he was at least good at saying stupid shit to lighten the mood and get people to laugh.

**_I didn’t realize there was a measurement system in place for emotional breakdowns,_ ** Souji teased wryly, before adding in a more sincere tone,  **_but seriously, thank you._ **

“Anytime, partner.”

There was a moment of comfortable silence, in which Yosuke could tell that Souji was thinking about something, before Souji finally spoke up once more.

**_Hey… I want to try something. You’re not feeling too tired or anything, are you?_ **

“Nope, I’m good.” Yosuke rose to his feet, his expression curious. “What do you want to try?”

**_You trust me, right?_ **

“That’s never a good question to start off with, partner,” Yosuke replied with a nervous laugh. “I mean, you know I trust you, but what are you--”

Yosuke cut off with a strangled noise as he suddenly felt an invisible force gripping him, panic briefly overtaking his mind before it was washed away with a wave of calm reassurance.

**_Yosuke, it’s okay, it’s just me. I promise, this will be worth it._ **

Yosuke closed his eyes and nodded, keeping his panic at bay as much as possible as he felt himself being moved until--

Until suddenly he felt oddly…  _ heavy _ .

He opened his eyes in bewildered confusion, and was met with the sight of Souji’s bedroom. Presumably Souji had gone upstairs during his small breakdown, but that didn’t explain why he was seeing things through Souji’s eyes without going through the door in his mind--and now that he thought about it, it wasn’t just sights and sounds: he could smell the dinner Souji had cooked that was sitting on the table, he could feel the couch under Souji’s hand….

It was only when he absentmindedly looked down at said food and said couch that he realized that Souji hadn’t been the one to move his head,  _ he _ had.

_ Partner… partner what did you-- _

**_I figured if you can’t go back to being in your own body, you could at least use mine for a bit. I thought it might help you feel a bit better._ **

Yosuke blinked in stunned shock, processing Souji’s statement for a moment before replying,  _ You can’t just…  _ **_loan_ ** _ someone your  _ **_body_ ** _ , partner! That’s-- I mean-- are you… are you seriously  _ **_okay_ ** _ with this? _

**_Why wouldn’t I be?_ ** Souji’s confusion was clear, which only baffled Yosuke further.  **_As long as it’s helping you, of course I’m okay with it._ **

Yosuke couldn’t help the laugh that slipped out at that, which was weird as hell since it was Souji’s laugh and not his own, but it just further cemented how crazy this entire situation was and how crazy his partner was for just rolling with it like it was nothing.

God, he was so grateful for his weird as fuck partner. There was no way he would have survived anything like this without him.

_ You’re seriously something else, partner. _ Yosuke relaxed against the couch, enjoying the simple feeling of, well,  _ feeling _ : running a hand along the material, leaning back and sinking into the soft cushions… he hadn’t realized just how much he missed something so simple until he was getting a taste of it once more.

His (or, well,  _ Souji’s _ ) stomach growled, and Yosuke’s gaze moved back over to the plate of food sitting on the table. Speaking of getting a taste of something….

**_You can go ahead and eat._ **

_ You sure? _

Souji gave the mental equivalent of a shrug.  **_As long as the food’s getting into my body, it doesn’t really matter which of us is the one eating it, right? Might as well let you enjoy it, since you haven’t eaten in a while._ **

Yosuke couldn’t exactly argue with that logic, nor did he want to--he hadn’t realized it until Souji said it, but he really  _ hadn’t _ eaten in a while, and even if he didn’t need to eat while stuck without a body, that didn’t mean that he didn’t miss the simple feeling of enjoying a delicious meal.

He wasted no time in picking up the bowl and chopsticks off of the table and digging in, practically inhaling the food between his own eagerness and the hunger in Souji’s body, before leaning back against the couch with a pleased sigh as soon as the bowl was emptied.

_ Man, you’re one hell of a cook, y’know that? _ Yosuke stretched with a grin, feeling more refreshed than he had in all the hours of sleep he’d gotten--even if this wasn’t his body (which was still really weird to think about), it was still a relief to be able to move around of his own free will after being cooped up for so long.

**_I wouldn’t go that far, but I’m glad you enjoyed the meal._ **

Yosuke’s grin faltered slightly as he added,  _ But now that I’m done, I guess you should probably, uh… y’know. Take your body back, or something. _

**_There’s no rush,_ ** Souji replied reassuringly.  **_We can switch when it’s time for me to get ready to sleep. Until then, you can do whatever you’d like._ **

_ Seriously? _ Yosuke relaxed in relief, an incredulous smile on his face.  _ If you’re sure… thank you, partner. _

Yosuke rose to his feet, briefly bewildered by how different he felt--everything from Souji’s arms and legs to his center of balance all felt the slightest bit off, and it took a few wary steps for him to slowly adjust to moving in someone else’s body.

The first thing Yosuke made a beeline for--as soon as he caught sight of it out of the corner of his eye--were the familiar headphones sitting on Souji’s desk, the cord meticulously wrapped around the mp3 player they were plugged into.

**_The doctor took them off of you after we brought your body to the hospital,_ ** Souji explained, answering Yosuke’s unspoken question.  **_I know they’re important to you, so I brought them home with me to make sure they wouldn’t get stolen or broken. I hope you don’t mind._ **

_ Dude, of course I don’t mind! Thank you so much! _

Yosuke picked the headphones up and gingerly put them over his ears, smiling and letting out a relieved sigh from the familiar feeling--it had been such a whirlwind of a day that Yosuke had genuinely forgotten all about his headphones, and he briefly lamented not being able to keep them when he had to go back to sitting around in the back of Souji’s mind, even if he knew it would be impossible to take them with him.

A thought suddenly occurred to him as he picked up his mp3 player: the headphones… fit Souji’s head perfectly, even if Yosuke had originally had them adjusted to fit his own head. Did he--

**_I’m sorry._ ** Yosuke could practically feel Souji’s guilty wince as he spoke.  **_I know I shouldn’t have touched them, but I was just… I was upset and wasn’t thinking straight, and I needed a distraction--_ **

_ Dude, it’s fine, really. _ When Souji didn’t respond, he added lightheartedly,  _ C’mon, partner. You know you’re like, the only one I would trust with my stuff. It’s  _ **_fine_ ** _ , seriously--and besides, you really think I’m gonna complain about you using my headphones for a bit when you’re letting me take your body for a test drive? _

That at least prompted a huff of laughter and a surge of amusement, much to Yosuke’s relief.

**_Okay, fine. As long as you’re sure._ **

_ Course I’m sure, you’re my partner! What’s mine is yours and all that. _

Yosuke sat back down on the couch with his mp3 player in hand, only stopping himself from hitting play when he realized that Souji would be subjected to listening to whatever music he chose to put on.  _ Do you mind if I…? _

**_Not at all. I don’t have much of an opinion either way about music, but I’m sure you know your stuff and have good taste._ ** A bit more sheepishly, he added, **_Honestly, with how often you’re listening to music, I’ve always been a bit curious about the kind of music you like listening to._ **

Yosuke grinned.  _ Why didn’t you just say so, partner? _ He flipped through the songs on his mp3 player before settling on one he figured Souji might like and hitting play. _ One crash-course on good music, coming right up! _

* * *

Souji, as expected, was a very good study: he listened attentively to each song that Yosuke put on along with the asides and explanations that Yosuke provided, while asking questions and giving his own opinions on which songs he enjoyed most.

Honestly, Yosuke had no idea why he hadn't thought to do this with Souji sooner. He could spend  _ hours _ talking about music, and Souji seemed completely enraptured by everything he had to say, continuously shooting down all of Yosuke's sheepish apologies each time he caught himself rambling excitedly.

It was so much fun that Yosuke didn't even realize how late it was until a yawn slipped out, startling him and Souji both.

_ I guess that means we should call it a night, huh? _ Yosuke said, reluctantly pausing his music and taking off the headphones.

**_I'm sorry. If you want, tomorrow--_ **

_ Dude, you don't have to keep letting me use your body like this. I mean I'm grateful you let me do this tonight, don't get me wrong, but…. _

**_Yosuke_ ** , Souji interrupted, his tone both gentle and the slightest bit amused,  **_I really don't mind doing this for you. What was it you said? "You're my partner, what's mine is yours and all that"?_ **

Yosuke felt his cheeks heating up in embarrassment, and the only small consolation was that technically it was Souji's face that was blushing and not his own.

(He was tempted to find a mirror to see what Souji looked like when he was flustered, but quickly pushed the thought aside before Souji could somehow catch wind of it--this whole situation was weird as it was without Yosuke having odd, random thoughts like that about his best friend.)

_ Don't tease me, _ Yosuke protested weakly with a huff.  _ This is completely different. _

**_Not to me, it isn't. I know I don't express it as well or as often as I should, but I would do anything for you, partner. Letting you use my body is the least I can do after everything you've been through._ **

If Yosuke hadn't been blushing before, he sure as hell was now.

_ P… partner, that's… I don't even know what to say. _

Immediately, Souji's mind flooded with a mixture of embarrassment and guilt.  **_Sorry, was that too weird?_ **

_ Dude, I think we're  _ **_way_ ** _ beyond weird at this point, _ Yosuke replied wryly, only managing to keep some composure because he didn't have to physically face Souji as he spoke.  _ I just-- no one's ever-- I mean, there's plenty of other people who deserve to hear that from you more than me--not about the using your body part, of course, that would be weird if you said that to anyone, but… saying you would do anything for me is… I mean, you already do so much for me as it is, and I barely do anything for you in return-- _

**_Yosuke,_ ** Souji cut him off once more, his tone gentle yet firm,  **_you know I don't believe that, so why do you?_ **

_ Because! _ Yosuke was grateful that he didn't have to speak aloud, otherwise he was sure he would be stammering incoherently by this point.  _ Because no one's ever cared about me enough to say something like that, and I just… I don't deserve it-- _

A sudden rush of warmth and reassurance mixed with that same heart-fluttering feeling that he couldn't pin down flooded through him, and he bit his lip to keep quiet, his face quickly heating up in response.

**_You deserve it, Yosuke, and I'll tell you that as many times as you need to hear it until you can believe it yourself._ **

_ Souji…. _

Despite his embarrassment, Yosuke couldn't help the smile that tugged at the corners of his lips.

_ Thank you. _

Deciding to steer the conversation back on track, Yosuke let out a sigh and wrapped his headphone wire around his mp3 player.

_ Anyway, you should really get some sleep. _ A realization hit him, and he sheepishly added,  _ Um, how do I, uh… how do I give you your body back? _

Souji quietly chuckled in response.  **_Just close your eyes and relax. I'll do the rest._ **

Yosuke did as told, flinching reflexively as he felt an invisible force gripping him from the inside and tugging him backwards, and he forced himself to relax and not fight it even as he felt his body growing weightless.

It was a weird sensation, going from being in a physical body to going back to being a spirit, but it wasn't all bad: even if it was a bit disappointing not having a body to move around in anymore, Souji's mind was still comforting and warm and (though it still embarrassed him to think about) safe, which eased his tension and allowed him to relax as he laid down, his exhaustion quickly beginning to catch up with him.

**_Are you alright?_ **

Yosuke smiled as he felt Souji's gentle concern wash over him. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just feeling a bit tired, that's all."

**_Get some rest, then. It was a long day for you._ **

"For both of us," Yosuke reminded him, already beginning to doze off as he tried and failed to keep his eyes from drifting shut. "You get some sleep too, alright?"

**_I will. Goodnight, Yosuke._ **

"Night, partner."

* * *

Yosuke jerked out of his sleep as a sudden wave of panic and grief hit him hard, his body shaking and his heart pounding.

He only realized that the feelings weren’t coming from him when he caught sight of the blue door out of the corner of his eye--which was no longer blue, but rather an ominous, pulsing red that made Yosuke’s stomach turn.

Nightmare. Souji was having a nightmare.

Yosuke had no idea how he managed to come to any sort of rational conclusion with how much Souji’s emotions were seeping into him, but he scrambled over to the door as quickly as his trembling body would take him, praying that his assumption was right and that the door would take him to Souji.

He had to do something to help--not only because Souji’s emotions going haywire was physically affecting him (or spiritually affecting him, rather, not that it made much of a difference), but because Souji had done so much to help him, and he would be damned if he just sat around and let Souji suffer through whatever nightmare his mind was putting him through on his own.

As soon as Yosuke stepped through the door, however, he had to fight the urge to immediately turn around and run as his own horror began to mix with Souji’s panic.

It was that Shadow.

That same Shadow that captured him and tortured him for its own amusement was staring down at Souji with that same menacing grin on its face, and Yosuke’s legs felt rooted to the ground in terror, his body shaking and his head spinning.

He couldn’t let that Shadow take him again, he couldn’t go back to being trapped and at its mercy after finally getting away from it, he  _ couldn’t _ \--

“ **_Yosuke!!_ ** ”

Yosuke jolted at the sound of his name, snapping out of his fear-induced state and forcefully shaking his head.

This was just a dream. That Shadow was gone. None of this was real, and him standing around paralyzed with fear wasn’t doing anything to help Souji snap out of his nightmare.

Forcing his body to move, Yosuke kept his gaze fixed on Souji as he ran towards him, paling as he saw Souji openly sobbing over his unconscious body and immediately realizing what was going on.

Souji was reliving the moment that Yosuke’s soul had been stolen, the moment when he thought that he’d lost Yosuke--and he had no idea how many times Souji had probably had this very same nightmare, but he was damned if he was going to let Souji suffer through it any more.

“Partner!”

Souji barely had the chance to lift his head in bewildered shock before Yosuke fell to his knees by Souji’s side and wrapped his arms around him in a hug that knocked the wind out of him.

“Partner, listen to me, this is just a dream! None of this is real!” Yosuke shakily hugged Souji tighter, trying his best for Souji’s sake to stay calm and not let the Shadow’s taunting cackles break him down. “I’m okay. Everything’s okay.”

Souji’s breath hitched, his own body beginning to tremble in Yosuke’s hold as his eyes burned with fresh tears. “You’re… but--!!”

Panic swelled up as Souji saw the unconscious Yosuke’s body beginning to fade away with the rest of their surroundings, but Yosuke continued to hold Souji against him tightly.

“I’m here, partner, I’m right here.”

Yosuke moved a shaking hand up to run through Souji’s hair, letting his partner remain closely pressed up against him as he let the last of his grief and fear drain away in the form of heart wrenching sobs that brought tears to Yosuke’s eyes as well.

Yet beneath the swell of feelings, both from Souji and himself, Yosuke could feel a glimmer of warmth in his heart as he observed for himself just how much he meant to his partner.

Finally, Souji’s sobs began to die down into quiet hiccups, and his mind began to settle around them to reflect his calmer state, much to Yosuke’s relief.

It should have been obvious in retrospect that if Souji’s positive emotions had such a huge effect on him, then his negative emotions would have just as huge of an effect, but he hadn’t realized just how draining it would be.

“I’m sorry,” Souji murmured after a long stretch of silence, once both of their trembling had died down to occasional tremors. “I… should have expected that to happen, but I’d hoped that knowing you were safe would have stopped the nightmares from happening.”

Yosuke shook his head and buried his face in the crook of Souji’s neck, far beyond caring about embarrassment at this point--he was physically, mentally, and emotionally drained, and there were more important things to worry about than trying to keep up appearances around the one person that would never judge him.

“Not your fault,” he murmured. “You okay?”

Souji nodded, moving a hand up to run through Yosuke’s hair. “Thanks to you, I am. I’m sorry you had to go through that; I hope I didn’t hurt you.”

Yosuke shook his head once more, letting out a quiet, relieved sigh as a comforting warmth washed over him along with the fingers running through his hair. “I’m okay. Just tired.” He nuzzled closer to Souji and murmured, “ ‘m glad I could help. I’d do anything for you too, partner.”

Souji’s heart swelled in response, a smile spreading across his face as Yosuke flushed and let out a quiet noise as he pressed even closer to Souji.

“Are you okay?” Souji asked, keeping his voice soft as he continued to gently run his fingers through Yosuke’s hair.

“Mmhm. Feels nice.”

Thankfully, any damage done by Souji’s negative emotions was quickly being repaired by the warmth and tranquility that filled Souji’s mind and seeped into Yosuke’s soul, leaving him relaxed and at peace in Souji’s arms as he basked in the safety of his partner’s presence and the gentleness of every touch.

“Do you think you’re ready to go back to sleep?”

Yosuke blearily opened his eyes to look up at Souji (when had they shifted to lie down, with his head against Souji’s chest? Yosuke had no idea, and he was too tired and too comfortable to care), examining him with a hint of worry as he asked, “Are you?”

Souji’s expression softened, and the wave of gratefulness--mixed with that same heart-pounding emotion that Yosuke couldn’t put a name to--that washed over Yosuke caused his head to spin as he let out a quiet noise, the desire to cuddle up against Souji and rest nearly making him forget that he’d asked Souji a question to begin with.

“I think I am, yeah,” Souji murmured, his hand trailing down to cup the side of Yosuke’s face as he gave him a gentle smile. “I have a feeling I’m going to sleep well tonight.”

Yosuke’s heart swelled as he leaned into the hand cupping his cheek, hardly able to process anything more than the fact that Souji was happy and it had something to do with him--and if Souji was happy, then so was Yosuke.

Souji guided Yosuke’s head back down to rest against his chest, and Yosuke was more than happy to let himself be moved as he wrapped his arms around Souji and snuggled closer to him with a pleased sigh, the warmth in Souji’s mind settling over him like a blanket and wiping away all traces of coherent thought as he drifted off into a deep, peaceful sleep.

Seeing Yosuke with such a sweet, vulnerable smile on his face caused another swell of affection to rush through Souji, his own smile widening as Yosuke let out another pleased sigh and murmured Souji’s name reverently in his sleep.

As he closed his eyes and let sleep overtake him as well, he knew that there was no way his nightmares would ever bother him again--not when Yosuke was safe and sound in his mind and in his arms, where no one could hurt him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize to anyone expecting any sort of plot, I think this is the most plotless fic I've ever written askjd it's 99% just Souji and Yosuke interacting lmao


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I probably sound like a broken record but I really do appreciate everyone that's reading this fic and all the people leaving kind words in the comments, it's making me feel a lot better about digging this fic out and posting it instead of just leaving it in my gdocs lmao <3

Yosuke idly wondered if waking up and getting hit with a feeling of utter mortification was going to become a constant thing while he was in Souji’s mind.

Not that he regretted helping Souji last night, of course, but these reactions that he was having whenever Souji was in his mind with him were… well.

There was no way the amount of bliss he’d felt was normal, and there was no way it hadn’t been really weird for Souji to deal with. Souji was just… way too nice of a guy to shove him away, that’s all. It was all Yosuke’s fault for being weird and being so easily influenced by a little bit of kindness and a feeling of security.

(But then what the hell was the deal with Souji’s expression, and the way he’d cupped Yosuke’s face so gently?)

(No, Yosuke wasn’t going to think about it, thinking about it would just make things even more weird than he’d already made them. It was better to just shove everything aside and pretend it never happened.)

**_Yosuke?_ **

“I’m fine!” Yosuke quickly reassured Souji as soon as he felt his concern, eager to move on before Souji could bring up last night. “So, uh… how long was I out for this time?”

**_We both slept through the night,_ ** Souji replied, and though Yosuke could tell that he was still a bit concerned, he thankfully went along with Yosuke’s distraction without any fuss.  **_I was just leaving for school with Nanako._ **

“Ugh, that’s right,  _ school _ …,” Yosuke groaned. “Not having to sit through class is great, but I’m gonna be  _ so _ behind by the time I get back into my body.”

**_Don’t worry. I’ll help catch you up, I promise._ **

Yosuke couldn’t help but smile at that, especially as he felt Souji’s firm conviction. “Thanks, partner. I appreciate that.”

He pushed himself up to his feet, and he was about to approach the blue door when Souji’s next words stopped him.

**_Do you want to take over? At least until we get to school, so you can get out and move around for a bit._ **

Yosuke looked up in stunned shock. “You mean like… walk to school? Using your body? Are you serious?? What-- what if something happens, or someone notices, or--”

**_Everything will be fine, don’t worry. I’m already walking with Nanako, so you can take over after she splits off to go to her school--that would give you at least ten minutes or so to get some fresh air. I doubt anyone would notice anything in that short amount of time._ **

Ten minutes… admittedly wasn’t very long, but Souji made some good points: it wasn’t very likely that anyone would notice anything (so long as Yosuke was careful, which he would be), and it would feel great to be able to move around and actually  _ feel _ the fresh air and sunlight instead of just observing it.

“... Are you sure you don’t mind?” Yosuke asked tentatively, though Souji must have heard the bit of hope that leaked into his tone as he forewent a response in favor of gently taking hold of Yosuke’s soul so he could pull it forward.

He wasn’t sure he would ever get used to the feeling, nor was he sure he would ever be able to stop himself from reflexively flinching whenever he felt an invisible force wrapping around him and moving him, but at the very least he was getting better about calming himself down more quickly as he reminded himself that it was Souji gripping him.

Souji, whose body Yosuke suddenly had full control of once more.

Yosuke let out a quiet, pleased sigh as he felt a light breeze washing over him, taking a few seconds to enjoy all the sensations that he was deprived of without being in his own body (though that wasn’t Souji’s fault, of course) before reluctantly pulling himself out of his reverie and focusing on making his way down the familiar path towards their school.

He took his time without dragging his feet, his head tilted back just enough to enjoy the warmth of the sun on his face as he glanced up at the clear blue sky. Souji was silent, presumably giving him as much privacy as possible, and though Yosuke was used to listening to music as he walked, he found that the quiet sounds of nature around him--birds chirping as they flew overhead, the wind rustling the leaves on the trees, the faint sound of the water flowing down the Samegawa--were surprisingly peaceful to listen to instead.

(It also helped that he was walking around in the body of the most popular and well-liked guy in Inaba--after all, the majority of the reason why he constantly walked around with headphones was to drown out the barbed comments whispered just within earshot of him. It was nice to not have to deal with that, even if a small part of him felt bitter and jealous because of it.)

“Hey, Souji-kun!!”

Yosuke was jarred out of his thoughts by a familiar voice, and he briefly felt panic flaring up-- _ oh crap partner switch back with me quick _ \--before relaxing as a wave of reassurance washed over him in time with Souji’s voice.

**_It’s fine, it’s just Chie. I don’t mind if she finds out that you’re using my body._ **

_ There really isn’t a less awkward way to phrase that, is there, _ Yosuke replied wryly, before glancing over his shoulder in time to see Chie jogging over to his side.

“Morning!” Chie greeted as she slowed down to walk next to him. “What’s u-- _ woah! _ What’s with your  _ eyes? _ ”

Yosuke flinched at her sudden exclamation, paling slightly--and even Souji seemed caught off-guard, neither of them having thought to check if there were any visible differences when Yosuke was in control.

“Keep it  _ down _ , Chie!” Yosuke hissed, feeling both grateful and weirded out to hear Souji’s voice instead of his own--even if there was something off about his eyes, at least him speaking wouldn’t be enough to give away the fact that he wasn’t really Souji. “It’s me!”

“Wait,  _ Yosuke?! _ ” Chie breathed out, staring at him in clear bewilderment. “What-- how-- I thought-- w-wait, you’re not…  _ possessing _ Souji-kun, are you?”

“What? No! I’m not a ghost!” Yosuke ran a hand down his face in exasperation as Chie took a wary step away from him, as if she was expecting his spirit to jump out of Souji’s body and take over hers, and he made sure to keep his voice as quiet as possible without outright whispering as he continued to speak. “Chie, I’m serious. Souji was the one that let me use his-- er… let me take control of-- ugh, god this is so weird. Look, basically we just switched places so I could walk around and get some air and stuff, but I’m not  _ possessing _ him.”

“Oh.” Chie’s brows furrowed in thought as she processed what Yosuke was telling her, before adding, “So then what’s up with your eyes?”

“I have no idea. I didn’t even know there  _ was _ anything wrong with my eyes until you mentioned it,” Yosuke replied helplessly. “What’s so weird about them? Is it really that noticeable?”

Chie dug through her pockets before pulling out a small compact mirror, which she opened up and handed to Yosuke. “See for yourself.”

Yosuke warily took the mirror, bracing himself as he looked at his--at  _ Souji’s _ \--reflection and biting his tongue to stifle a yelp: not only was it unsettling to see someone else’s face staring back at you in a mirror, but instead of the gray that he was so used to seeing, Souji’s eyes were clearly  _ brown _ .

**_Hm. I never imagined what I’d look like with brown eyes before. It’s different._ **

_ Not the point, partner! _

Yosuke snapped the compact mirror shut and handed it back to Chie with a quiet groan. “I should’ve figured there was some sort of catch to this….”

“Hey, at least no one’s noticed yet, right?” Chie replied with a reassuring pat on his arm. “If you keep your head down, no one will know.”

Yosuke sighed. “Yeah, until someone needs to talk to Souji or something… not that I was going to stay out for too long anyway.” Before he could stop himself, the words continued tumbling out of his mouth. “It’s just so  _ exhausting _ , only being able to watch and listen without actually being able to move around on my own--and it’s not partner’s fault at all, but I just… I didn’t think it was possible to take something like having your own body for granted before now, but I sure as hell did, and I’m regretting it.”

“Yosuke….”

He blushed lightly as Chie gave his arm a light, sympathetic squeeze, unused to being on the receiving end of such genuine kindness from anyone other than Souji--but he knew that Chie, and the rest of the Investigation Team for that matter, had been (and apparently still was) worried about him this whole time, which lifted his heart enough for him to muster up a small yet genuine smile.

“Don’t worry about it. I know it could’ve been a lot worse for me, so I’m just grateful that partner is putting up with me and going out of his way for me like this. I’m sure I’ll be able to go back to my own body in no time.”

**_Yosuke, I’ll tell you as many times as you need to hear: I’m never “putting up with” you,_ ** Souji immediately protested, much to Yosuke’s embarrassment.

_ I… I know. Sorry. Force of habit. _

“Don’t say that,” Chie replied with a slight frown, lightly hitting her fist against Yosuke’s arm where she had just squeezed him. “As much as I joke around, I’m sure Souji-kun wouldn’t actually think he’s putting up with you--I mean, you’re his partner, right? He wouldn’t have gone this far just to be  _ putting up with _ you.”

**_See? Two against one._ **

Yosuke’s blush darkened as he moved a hand to cover his face, letting out a quiet groan in the process. “Fine, fine, I get it! Jeez, I didn’t think I’d have both of you ganging up on me for a little self-deprecating humor.”

“Heh, so Souji-kun agrees with me? Called it.” Chie grinned, leaning over slightly to get a better look at his face as she added mischievously, “Anyway, move your hand for a sec! Souji-kun  _ never _ blushes; I’ve gotta see this!”

“No.” Yosuke moved his free hand over to Chie’s face, lightly pushing her away as he turned his head away from her. “It’s not partner’s fault that I blush so easily, and I’m not letting you tease him over something that’s my fault.”

“Awwww, c’mon! Just one peek?” Chie grinned as she saw Yosuke’s blush darkening from behind his hand, cackling with amusement as she added, “Man, you really  _ do _ blush easily!”

**_Huh, I had no idea I was even capable of blushing that quickly._ **

_ Not helping, partner!! _ “Shut up, Chie!”

“What’s going on?”

The addition of a third voice (or fourth, including Souji’s voice in his mind) was thankfully enough of a distraction to help Yosuke’s blush die down, as he and Chie turned to find Yukiko approaching them.

“Oh, hey Yukiko!” Chie greeted.

“Good morning Chie, Souji-ku--oh.”

Yukiko leaned closer to Yosuke, who was desperately fighting to keep the blush that he’d  _ finally _ gotten to recede from working its way back onto his face as he leaned away from her.

Finally, Yukiko leaned back with a satisfied smile as she said, “So Yosuke-kun is possessing Souji-kun?”

Yosuke let out a long groan while Chie began to laugh once more, and even Souji couldn’t help but join in on the laughter as well.

Yukiko blinked. “Did I say something funny?”

“Let’s just… let’s get to school already,  _ please _ .”

* * *

Somehow, sitting through class was even more boring without a body than with one.

Yosuke thought he would be able to sleep through the day’s lessons easily--hell, it took all of his willpower to stay awake in class normally--but being in the back of Souji’s mind with nothing but silence and darkness around him was just making him restless, and he couldn’t sleep while he was in the front of Souji’s mind listening to the droning voices of their teachers, nor could he converse with Souji while Souji was so focused on paying attention and taking notes like the perfect student that he was.

Not that it stopped Yosuke from trying, of course.

“ _ Partner, I’m bored. _ ”

**_Try taking a nap, then._ **

“ _ I already  _ **_tried_ ** _ that, _ ” Yosuke replied with a groan. “ _ How do you actually pay attention enough to take such good notes, anyway? _ ”

**_By not having someone distracting me, for starters?_ **

“ _ Ouch, harsh. _ ”

Yosuke knew that Souji was just kidding--he couldn’t feel anything negative from him beyond the slightest hint of annoyance, and even that was tinged with fond amusement--but he still couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty.

So he tried to stay quiet, and even tried to pay attention just like Souji was doing--which lasted for a whole five minutes before Yosuke lapsed straight back into restless boredom.

**_Yosuke… you realize even if you’re not saying anything, I can still feel what you’re feeling when you’re up front, right?_ **

“ _ Crap! _ ” Yosuke jolted, embarrassment quickly taking the place of his restlessness as he hastily retreated to the back of Souji’s mind before replying. “I’m sorry, I honestly didn’t realize-- I’m not trying to distract you, I swear, I just… I feel like I’m going stir-crazy, I can’t stand it.”

**_Hm… well, you’ve already distracted me this much. I might as well give you my full attention now._ **

Yosuke winced guiltily, even as he felt nothing but amusement from Souji’s tone. “No, that’s-- it’s fine, I’m sorry. Seriously, you can just ignore me; I don’t want you to fall behind in class because of me.”

**_It’s fine, I can always read the textbook to catch up. Besides, I wanted to experiment a little anyway, so now’s a good enough time as any._ **

“Wait, what--?!”

Yosuke wasn’t even given the chance to get his question out before an invisible force gripped him without warning, causing him to cut off with a choked noise as he reflexively tensed up before forcing himself to try and calm down.

Except this time, instead of being moved, he was just… standing exactly where he was, squirming slightly in the invisible grasp as a cold sweat began to work its way down the back of his neck.

Somehow, just standing here like this was even worse than being moved, even if--or perhaps because--nothing was happening to him.

“S-Souji, what-- what are you doing?”

**_Experimenting,_ ** Souji replied, seconds before Yosuke felt his feet lift off of the ground.

Yosuke yelped and struggled nervously, instinctive fear briefly taking the place of logic before a wave of calm reassurance washed over him.

**_It’s okay, Yosuke, calm down. You know I would never do anything to hurt you, right?_ **

Yosuke blushed lightly and stopped struggling, the trembling in his body calming down despite his heart still pounding. “Of… of course I know that. Seriously though, what--”

Souji’s mind was suddenly flooded with warmth and tranquility, and Yosuke’s question completely faded out of his mind as he let out a pleased sigh, all of the tension immediately bleeding out of his body and leaving him pliant and relaxed in Souji’s hold.

**_Good._ **

Yosuke could feel that Souji was satisfied, which brought a dazed smile to his lips as his eyes drifted shut, and his smile widened as another wave of peace and safety washed over him.

**_Any time I hold you like this, I want you to remember this feeling._ **

Souji’s voice was smooth and soothing, almost to the point of being hypnotic, and Yosuke’s hazy mind hung onto each and every word as he relaxed even further into Souji’s hold, letting out another pleased sigh as he felt himself being moved to lay down before feeling the echo of fingers running through his hair.

It wasn’t the same as Souji actually being here with him, holding him and toying with his hair, but despite the disappointment of not having a physical touch to lean into, Yosuke found himself easily slipping into a state of half-conscious bliss.

* * *

The first thing that Yosuke became aware of as he slowly returned to consciousness was the feeling of fingers running through his hair--physically, this time--followed quickly by the feeling of his head resting against something warm.

He already had an idea of what he would find, yet despite that, he still found himself blushing heavily as he opened his eyes to find himself laying with his head on Souji’s lap.

“Ah, you’re awake.”

The smile on Souji’s face was just as soft as all of the other smiles Souji had given him in the few times they interacted like this, yet Yosuke’s heart still pounded in his chest as if it was the very first time he’d seen Souji looking at him with such a tender expression.

“S-sorry, I-- wait, how long was I asleep for? Why are you here?” His blush darkened as he hastily stammered out, “I-- I mean, not that there’s anything  _ wrong _ with you being here, it’s your mind, you can be wherever you want, I just--”

He was silenced by a wave of reassurance mixed with the slightest tinge of amusement, his face burning as he turned and buried his face against Souji’s thigh--which really wasn’t doing much to help ease his embarrassment any, but in all honesty it was comfortable enough that he was reluctant to move, embarrassment be damned.

“You were asleep for a few hours,” Souji answered. “As for why I’m here… well, I just wanted to check on you, to make sure you’re alright.”

“Hm?” Yosuke’s brows furrowed in confusion, and he tilted his head up slightly to look at Souji, not-so-subtly leaning into the fingers that were still running through his hair in the process. “Why wouldn’t I be alright?”

“Well, before…,” Souji trailed off for a moment, his motions coming to a halt as he glanced away in sheepish embarrassment. “I only meant to tease you a little, but I never intended on scaring you or making you panic.”

Yosuke felt his own embarrassment mixing with Souji’s at the memory, though he forced himself to respond regardless. “Dude, it’s fine. I’m fine, really.”

“It isn’t fine, though,” Souji insisted. “I… I never want you to be afraid because of me.” Trailing his hand down Yosuke’s head, he cupped the side of Yosuke’s flushed face as he added, “I want you to feel safe here.”

“And I do.”

Despite feeling mortified by his own flustered state, and by Souji’s actions, and by the memory of earlier, and--well, by everything, really--Yosuke managed to respond immediately and honestly to Souji, forcing himself to sit up so he could properly look Souji in the eye as he spoke.

“Partner, you’ve been going above and beyond to help me feel safe and relaxed here with you. If I ever react otherwise, it’s not because of you, I promise.”

Souji hesitated for a moment, the hand that had been cupping Yosuke’s cheek dropping limply onto his lap when Yosuke sat up, and he toyed with the edge of his shirt nervously before speaking quietly. “You swear I’m not doing anything that scares you? Or anything that makes you feel uncomfortable, or that you don’t want, or--”

“I swear,” Yosuke cut him off, his tone firm yet warm as he gave Souji a smile. “I told you before, didn’t I? There’s nothing you could do that would make me feel uncomfortable, or scared, or  _ anything _ bad.”

Souji observed him for a moment longer before tentatively reaching out to cup Yosuke’s cheek once more, his voice soft as he replied, “Nothing at all?”

Immediately, the blush that had finally begun to recede came back with a vengeance, and for a moment Yosuke struggled to string together a proper sentence in his mind, let alone out loud. It was only Souji beginning to withdraw his hand combined with the slightest flashes of disappointment and guilt that slipped through the cracks before Souji could repress them that snapped Yosuke out of his flustered state, and he quickly reached out to grab Souji’s hand in his own.

“Nothing at all,” Yosuke repeated, his heart pounding as he put Souji’s hand back against his cheek despite his embarrassment. “And before you say anything,” he cut Souji off as he saw him beginning to open his mouth in protest, “no, you’re not forcing me to say anything, or to do anything, or to… to feel any particular way.”

Souji sucked in a sharp breath at that--and Yosuke wasn’t sure what was more surprising: the sight of his normally unflappable partner’s face filling with color, or the feeling of pure, unbridled hope that was bubbling up and spreading through Souji’s mind like wildfire despite Souji’s obvious attempts to repress it, the feeling ebbing and flowing in waves that made the corners of Yosuke’s lips turn upward in infectious joy.

Suddenly, Souji’s actions--and all the feelings that he’d been on the receiving end of in Souji’s mind--were beginning to make a lot more sense, as were Yosuke’s own reactions.

He was an idiot for trying to pretend that his feelings for Souji ran only so deep as friendship: it should have been obvious with how badly he craved Souji’s attention and validation, how desperate he was to assure that no one would steal his spot as Souji’s partner away from him, how jealous and upset he got whenever Souji told him he had plans with someone else and couldn’t spend time with him--

If they had been having a similar discussion in their own bodies, outside of the safety and privacy of Souji’s mind, then maybe Yosuke would have been a little more reluctant to acknowledge and accept the thoughts and feelings going through his head--but there was no better place for him to face the parts of himself that he’d been trying so desperately to pretend didn’t exist than in the mind of someone who accepted him unconditionally, and who apparently had feelings that aligned with his own.

(Belatedly, Yosuke realized that was most likely the source of the constant warmth in Souji’s mind: after all, love was probably the warmest emotion anyone could possess, as cheesy and embarrassing as it was to think about.)

Yosuke shifted the slightest bit closer to Souji, deciding to let his actions convey the feelings that he couldn’t put to words as his lips brushed against Souji’s in a chaste kiss that immediately left him reeling--not only from the feeling of Souji’s lips against his own, but from the burst of flustered joy, overwhelming relief, and pure adoration that immediately rushed through Souji’s mind in response to the brief action.

“Ah, I’m-- I-I’m sorry, I just-- I can’t, I’m just, I never thought--”

Yosuke couldn’t help the giddy laughter that bubbled up as Souji floundered to stifle the sudden wave of emotions, his face bright red in embarrassment that reverberated amongst the other feelings flooding through his mind. He impulsively reached out to pull Souji into another kiss, immediately silencing Souji’s babbling and making Yosuke feel almost lightheaded with all of the pleasurable feelings rushing through Souji’s mind.

By the time they finally pulled apart, they both felt completely winded, and Yosuke put up absolutely no resistance as Souji gently pulled him to lie down with him as they caught their breath and let their emotions settle down enough to properly speak.

“So, just to make sure,” Souji began nervously, “I’m not… influencing you in any way, am I? You really…?”

“I promise,” Yosuke assured him, his face flushed as embarrassment began to creep back up on him--but he refused to let his embarrassment hold him back from being honest with Souji. Not anymore, and especially not here, where Souji didn’t have the luxury of hiding his own feelings from him. “This is something that I’ve been… trying to ignore for a while now, I think.”

Souji hummed curiously as he rolled over to properly face Yosuke, and Yosuke did the same, leaving hardly any space between them as he tried to find the right words to say.

“I just-- I dunno, I’ve never been interested in guys, and I still don’t really think I am? I guess?” Yosuke began nervously, before immediately relaxing with a quiet sigh as he felt warm reassurance washing over him in response. “That’s… not weird, is it? That I like you, but I’m not really interested in guys?”

“It’s not weird,” Souji replied, and Yosuke was grateful as always for his partner’s endless well of calmness and patience, especially given the subject matter. “It’s not as cut and dry as just ‘liking girls’ or ‘liking guys’.”

“What about you, then?” Yosuke asked, his expression curious as a few things began to click in his mind. “You always kind of dodged the question whenever I asked you about your type of girl, or which of the girls you like, or any of that stuff--so are you…?”

“Honestly, I thought I didn’t like girls  _ or _ guys until I met you,” Souji confessed, which was absolutely  _ not _ what Yosuke had been expecting, but it… kind of made sense, now that he thought about it? After all, Souji never really reacted to any of the girls’ advances, but it wasn’t like he’d been eyeing up any guys either (at least, not that Yosuke had noticed), and he’d politely turned down everyone that had confessed to him over the past few months, so maybe it had just been because he just… didn’t find people attractive the way Yosuke found girls (and Souji) attractive?

If he really was the exception to that, just like Souji seemed to be the exception for Yosuke, then… well, that was honestly pretty flattering to think about. It made Yosuke feel a bit less embarrassed and self-conscious, too, knowing that even in something like this--in being each other’s exceptions, as different as those exceptions may have been--they were partners and equals.

“Are you alright with all of this?” Souji asked, after a moment of contemplative silence on both of their ends.

Yosuke was briefly confused by the question, before wincing guiltily as realization hit him. “I… yeah, I mean I’m still a bit embarrassed and I don’t really know if I’m ready for anyone else to know just yet, but… all of that stuff with Kanji was-- well, I guess it was just me… projecting, a bit. I was freaked out that I was starting to like you a bit more than what’s normal for two guys, and then I thought about what would happen if people found out, and then all of the stuff with Kanji happened and it kind of just… hit a bit too close to home with stuff that I didn’t even want to think about, let alone acknowledge and accept.” He paused for a moment before reluctantly adding, “Not that any of that makes it  _ right _ , or anything, but… well, I know I shouldn’t have acted like such a huge jerk, and I’ve got to give him a serious apology after all of this.”

Souji gave him a small smile, and the pleased satisfaction mixed with a hint of pride that washed over Yosuke in response immediately caused his face to flood with color as he quickly ducked his head in embarrassment, trying and failing to hide a relieved smile of his own.

“I’m not  _ that _ much of a lost cause, y’know,” Yosuke protested weakly, lightly bumping his knuckles against Souji’s arm with a huff. “What, did you think I was going to keep denying everything?”

“Well, considering how you’ve acted every time the subject came up….”

Yosuke groaned. “Alright, alright, I get it--the world class jerk award goes to Yosuke Hanamura.”

“I didn’t say that,” Souji replied with a frown, lightly poking Yosuke’s side. “Don’t put yourself down.”

Yosuke rolled his eyes and half-heartedly swatted Souji’s hand away. “I know you didn’t say that. You’re the only one that never says anything bad about me,” he muttered, his cheeks burning as he avoided Souji’s gaze. “Why do you think I can talk about all of this stuff with you? I know you’re the only one that won’t judge me, and won’t kick me when I’m down. Or push me down to begin with and then kick me, in the case of the majority of Inaba,” he added wryly.

“That doesn’t make how they treat you right, and it doesn’t mean you should agree with anything they say about you,” Souji replied, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Yosuke knew a losing battle when he heard one, so he merely rolled his eyes in response, deciding to just agree to disagree for the moment--he still didn’t exactly think very highly of himself, but he wasn’t about to get into an argument with Souji over it, especially when he knew Souji would never budge on the matter.

(And especially when a part of Yosuke wanted so desperately to believe in whatever good Souji somehow always managed to see in him, without the voices of the townspeople of Inaba and the voice of his own Shadow all whispering in the back of his mind about how big of a fuckup he always was.)

“Anyway,” Yosuke continued, deciding to steer the conversation away from himself and back to the matter at hand, “what now? I mean, if we both…  _ like _ each other, then are we…?”

“We’re whatever you feel comfortable with us being,” Souji replied with a small smile. “There’s no rush to figure things out, either: you still need to focus on resting and getting back into your own body before we worry about putting a label on our relationship.”

Yosuke hummed thoughtfully before giving Souji a smile in return. “Guess you’re right,” he conceded.

Inwardly--to his own slight alarm--Yosuke found himself the slightest bit reluctant to think about going back to his own body, even knowing how restless he’d been feeling lately. Of course, he missed the freedom of moving around on his own, going wherever he wanted and doing whatever he wanted without having to be just a passenger and an observer, but… the thought of going from constantly being surrounded by the feeling of warmth and acceptance and  _ love _ that permeated Souji’s mind to having nothing but his own--often negative--thoughts for company was…  _ unappealing _ , to say the absolute least.

He knew he couldn’t stay here forever, but he also couldn’t deny that the thought of just hiding away from the world for the rest of his life in the safety of Souji’s mind was almost scarily tempting.

If Souji had any clue about what was on Yosuke’s mind, he made no indication of it, though he did clear the small distance between them to press a light kiss to Yosuke’s lips in an action so abrupt that it immediately pulled Yosuke from his thoughts, leaving him blushing and blinking dazedly.

Souji chuckled and pressed one more quick kiss to Yosuke’s lips before reluctantly sitting up and saying, “As much as I’d love to continue laying here with you, I have to check and make sure I wasn’t zoned out for too long. I still have to cook dinner for Nanako, and I wanted to try and fit in a couple hours of work tonight.”

Yosuke let out an exaggerated sigh as he sat up as well, waving Souji off flippantly. “Go on, go be responsible. I’ll just sit here, bored and alone--Souji that was a  _ joke _ ,” he quickly added when he felt a hint of guilt from Souji, making sure to give him a reassuring smile for good measure. “I was joking, partner, I promise. Seriously, I’ll be fine, so go do whatever you have to do.”

“Alright,” Souji replied after a moment of carefully observing Yosuke, apparently satisfied with whatever he saw as he gave Yosuke a smile in return.

And then suddenly Souji was gone, leaving Yosuke blinking in stunned surprise as he belatedly realized he’d never actually seen Souji coming or going from his own mind--he was always just… there one minute, until Yosuke fell asleep, and gone by the time Yosuke woke up.

How did that work, anyway? Was Souji just imagining himself in his own mind? How come he felt solid, though? Was it because Yosuke technically wasn’t “solid” either, since he was a spirit, so their non-solidness just canceled out?

Thinking about it was giving Yosuke too much of a headache, so he just put the matter aside entirely. There were just some things in this world that could never be explained, and the faster he accepted it, the less of a pounding migraine he would end up with. He’d already learned his lesson after trying to understand the enigma that was Teddie.

Yosuke let out a sigh and laid back down, closing his eyes and letting himself gradually relax as he put all thoughts out of his mind--save for thoughts of Souji, and of him and Souji together.

_ Together _ … even just the word was enough to flood his face with heat and widen his small smile into a silly grin.

He hadn’t expected something like this to happen, and certainly not after something as crazy as being separated from his body and taking up temporary residence in his partner’s head--but hell, nothing in their lives could be considered normal anymore anyway, right? So who cared if it was a bit of an unconventional way for them to get together?

If anything, Yosuke was honestly grateful that it happened here, otherwise he might have had a much more difficult time believing and accepting both Souji’s feelings towards him and his own feelings towards Souji. Kind of hard to deny something when the proof was literally all around you, after all.

There was no telling how things would change once Yosuke was back in his body--or if things would change at all, for that matter--but….

Despite the circumstances he was still trapped in, Yosuke could safely say that for now, at least, everything was as perfect as could be.

* * *

It was hard to tell just how much time passed after Souji returned his focus to the world outside his head, but Yosuke could only assume that it was long enough for Souji to have finished eating dinner with Nanako and started on whichever of the million different part-time jobs he’d decided to work on tonight.

The assumption, of course, came from the light undercurrent of focused concentration in Souji’s mind, which was quickly beginning to shift into the barest hints of frustration.

Yosuke didn’t want to distract Souji if he was struggling with concentrating on his work as it was, but at the same time, he had a burning curiosity to see just what exactly it was that was giving  _ the _ Souji Seta--top of the class and top of the grade, and quite possibly even top of the entire school knowing him--so much trouble.

Of course, his curiosity won out after just a few seconds of not-so-careful deliberation.

Yosuke slipped through the unlocked door, intending on just taking a quick peek through Souji’s eyes, only to end up watching in quiet surprise as Souji’s gaze flitted back and forth between a page of English text and his own notebook, filled with crossed-out lines in Japanese.

“ _ Dude, you seriously took that translating job? That listing was up there since  _ **_I_ ** _ moved in! _ ”

Souji jumped slightly, startled by Yosuke’s voice unintentionally breaking through his concentration, before quickly relaxing with a breathless yet genuinely amused laugh as he felt Yosuke’s overwhelming embarrassment and guilt.

“ _ Sorry, sorry, crap, I didn’t mean to startle you I just-- _ ”

**_It’s fine, Yosuke, I promise. Sorry if I was getting too frustrated and made you worry._ **

Now there was a slight shift in the embarrassment that Yosuke was practically radiating.

“ _ Uh… well, actually, I was… kinda more curious about what was giving you such a hard time, to be honest, _ ” Yosuke replied sheepishly, prompting another quiet huff of laughter from Souji.

**_I’m just having a bit of trouble with the wording on some of these lines, that’s all,_ ** Souji replied, turning his gaze back down to the text in question.  **_I know what it’s trying to say, but I can’t figure out how to translate it right._ ** As if to answer Yosuke’s unspoke question, he added,  **_The better the quality of my translations, the more I’ll get paid--and we really could use the money right now, so I can’t afford to send in anything less than perfect._ **

“ _ Because you spent all of your money preparing to come and save me, _ ” Yosuke finished with a guilty wince.  _ “I’m sorry partner, I-- _ ”

**_Yosuke, it wasn’t your fault. Rescuing you and making sure everyone stayed safe during that fight was worth every yen and more. I just want to make sure we have enough saved up for any future problems we might run into, that’s all._ **

Yosuke sighed as he felt both Souji’s affection and stubbornness in every word, and though he personally didn’t agree, he knew this would be yet another losing battle.

There was just no winning against Souji when it came to him defending the people he cared about, apparently.

(Though Yosuke still felt bad, he couldn’t help the warmth that briefly swelled his heart from the thought alone.)

Still, even if Yosuke was giving up on pushing the matter, he at least wanted to try and do  _ something _ to make it up to Souji--and surprisingly enough, an idea came to him as he turned his attention to the crossed-out lines filling Souji’s notebook.

“ _ I think I see what you’re having trouble with here? Kind of? _ ” Yosuke spoke up hesitantly, immediately catching Souji’s attention. “ _ The sentences don’t sound  _ **_wrong_ ** _ or anything, they’re just… offbeat. _ ”

**_Offbeat?_ **

Yosuke flushed as he felt Souji’s confusion and curiosity in equal measures. “ _ I dunno, I’m probably wrong-- _ ”

**_Can you show me what you mean?_ **

It took Yosuke a moment to register Souji’s question in his flustered state--but once he did, he quickly retreated back through the door so they could switch, feeling both nervous, relieved, and the slightest bit amazed that Souji was asking  _ him _ for help.

Not that Souji never came to Yosuke for help, but any time he did, it was usually more along the lines of “I want a second opinion on this thing that I already figured out myself”--and while Yosuke never minded Souji discussing things with him purely for his opinion (he was honestly flattered that Souji trusted him enough to always choose to come to him over anyone else), it was a welcome change to know that there was something that Souji’s mind just wasn’t able to grasp that Yosuke’s (potentially) could in his stead.

Yosuke almost didn’t register the feeling of his soul being gripped and gently moved, much to his surprise, but he hardly had a moment to wonder about the sudden lack of instinctive fear before he found himself in control of Souji’s body, staring down at the notebook on the table as Souji had been just a moment ago.

_ Uh, okay, so…, _ Yosuke began awkwardly, hesitating for a moment before picking up Souji’s pen.  _ Do you mind if I write in your notebook? _

**_Not at all. I was going to rewrite everything before sending it in anyway._ **

_ Cool. Okay. So, uh. I guess what I meant is like… when you’re reading something--or, well, when I’m reading something anyway--the lines kind of have a… rhythm to them, I guess? Like an ebb and flow--and I mean, like I said before, what you have written here isn’t really  _ **_wrong_ ** _ , but… it just feels too stiff, y’know? _

Yosuke ran his gaze over the words a few times, absentmindedly humming in thought and toying with the pen before hesitantly rewriting the sentence that Souji had been working on.

_ I think if you just move the words around like this, and maybe change this word here… I know it’s probably not grammatically accurate or whatever, but the meaning’s the same, and it just sounds more…  _ **_natural_ ** _ , I guess? What do you think? _

Yosuke tacked on the last question nervously, upon realizing that Souji had been silent the entire time.

**_I think,_ ** Souji began, pride and awe filling his tone,  **_you’re amazing, Yosuke. You’re right, it sounds much more natural like this._ **

Yosuke could feel his face ( _ Souji’s _ face) burning in embarrassment, yet he couldn’t stop himself from smiling in response, his heart lifting in relief.

_ I’m not  _ **_amazing_ ** _ , _ he protested weakly.  _ I mean, you’re the one that did all the hard work, all I did was move the words around a bit--but… I’m glad I could help. _

**_Would you mind helping me with the rest of the passage, too? I would feel more confident submitting it if I had you to look it over for me._ **

Yosuke was half-sure that Souji was trying to see if Yosuke would be the first person to spontaneously combust from blushing too hard--either that, or he was trying to send him into cardiac arrest--but even despite his flustered state, he still managed to give a nod in response.

**_Alright, then we’ll go over it one line at a time. I’ll give you the general meaning, and you can reword it to make it flow better._ **

Yosuke grinned despite his lingering embarrassment, gripping the pen in his hand and turning his gaze back down to the book on the table.

Though (or perhaps because) he knew this was at least in part an excuse to give him more time outside of the confines of Souji’s mind, his heart still swelled with the same rush of giddiness and determination that he always felt when Souji relied on him.

_ Sounds good to me, partner! Let’s do this! _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~Sorry if the ending is a bit abrupt, it was the best stopping point I could find lol~~
> 
> Just one chapter left! ;u;


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so... this chapter was originally a lot shorter, since about halfway through this chapter was where I left the original gdoc, and when I dug it back out to try and finish it for Halloween I kind of just threw together a half-assed ending just so I could mark it as done and toss it online, but honestly after all of the kind words and support that I've gotten from everyone, I felt like it wouldn't be fair to upload a lackluster ending;;
> 
> So instead, I sat down this morning and spent practically all day rewriting the ending, adding two new scenes and almost 4k onto the chapter, and now the chapter is like 10k long. Whoops?
> 
> Hopefully it's enjoyable at least ;u; ~~I'm still not 100% satisfied with it because I'm horrible with endings, but personally I like it a lot better than my original ending, which was only like 1k and just sped through the hospital scene where they're waiting for Yosuke to wake up just because I wanted to wrap the fic up lol;;~~

It was almost scary how well Yosuke was adjusting to being stuck in Souji’s mind: despite his occasional bouts of restlessness, he felt more  _ content _ than he could ever remember feeling, and he could easily say that his bond with his partner had never been stronger. He no longer batted an eye when he felt his soul being gripped and moved, and he and Souji could switch so seamlessly that even the rest of the team couldn’t always tell right away until they noticed the different eye color.

He and Souji had fallen into a routine, which allowed Yosuke to see firsthand just how busy Souji’s schedule really was: of course, he’d had somewhat of an idea before all of this, but seeing firsthand how Souji planned his days down to the minute really drove home just how hard Souji was working to help everyone. Plus, not only did he get a crash course in Souji’s jam-packed schedule, but it also quickly became apparent just how many people Souji had developed bonds with over the course of the past half year or so.

It was both amazing and concerning to watch, honestly--or at least, when Yosuke was allowed to watch, since there were moments when Souji would spend time with people one-on-one that he wouldn’t budge on keeping private.

(Yosuke knew Souji swore the same secrecy for him that he gave to anyone that confided anything in him, though, so he wasn’t  _ too _ bothered by being kept out of the loop… even if the nosier part of him was admittedly left burning with curiosity each time.)

Arguably the best part about their arrangement--at least in Yosuke’s opinion, even more so after seeing how hard his partner pushed himself every day--was that it was much easier to convince Souji to take some time off at night to rest when he was in Souji’s head, watching along with him and knowing damn well that “just five more minutes” would turn into another few hours of working or studying. Souji genuinely seemed to enjoy spending time with Yosuke face to face in his mind just as much as Yosuke himself enjoyed it, now that their mutual feelings were out in the open, and though it was a bit embarrassing to be so forward about wanting Souji’s company, it was a good excuse to get Souji into bed a bit earlier than usual so they could spend the rest of the night relaxing with one another until they both fell asleep.

The only  _ bad _ part about all of this, however, was that the longer Yosuke spent with Souji, the more reluctant he grew to return to his own body.

It was ridiculous, he  _ knew _ it was ridiculous--he couldn’t live like this forever, not only for his own sake but for Souji’s as well--but… it was hard to imagine going back to his own body, without Souji’s thoughts and feelings to chase away even the slightest hints of anxious negativity that would occasionally creep up on him. Of course, it wasn’t like he’d never be able to speak with Souji again, but it just wouldn’t be the  _ same _ .

On the flip side, however… now more than ever, he was sure that he wanted to be in a relationship with Souji. He wanted to be able to  _ physically _ hug him and hold his hand and kiss him, he wanted to go on dates with him, he wanted to be  _ by his side _ where he belonged--and he would never be able to do any of that if he didn’t get back into his body, which was still under the hospital’s care and (thankfully) still in stable condition a little over two weeks later.

And that was another problem: he was dreading the thought of going back into a body that had been laying in a hospital bed for over half a month now. He could only imagine how weak his body was going to be, how long it was going to take for him to get back to a point where he wouldn’t be holding Souji--or  _ anyone _ \--back, both inside and outside of the TV world… and though he knew that the longer he put this off for, the longer it would take for him to recover, he still couldn’t help but drag his feet a bit, as if avoiding the issue would make it go away.

Of course, Yosuke knew that Souji had at least an idea of all of the things on his mind, and he couldn’t say whether it was good or bad that Souji was being so patient with him. Part of him was grateful that Souji wasn’t rushing to kick him out and force him back into his body, of course, but another part of him almost wished that Souji would just make the call for him, so he could stop overthinking everything already.

To both of their surprise, it wasn’t either of them that finally brought up the subject: instead, it was Chie of all people, and in front of the entire Investigation Team (sans Teddie), no less.

The conversation began perfectly normal, as the group sat on the roof of the school building eating lunch together, before inevitably turning towards Yosuke’s condition--out of concern rather than any sort of malice, of course, but when the subject was already on Yosuke’s mind, it was harder for him to not immediately feel himself going on the defensive as soon as his name was brought up.

“So, what’s up with Yosuke, anyway?” Chie asked bluntly, her brows furrowed as she looked over at Souji with a small, worried frown. “It’s been over half a month already, hasn’t it? Is he seriously  _ still _ healing?”

Yosuke self-consciously bristled a bit at that, his frustration only slightly ebbing when Souji immediately allowed him to take over and speak for himself.

“You try getting your soul ripped out and tortured by a Shadow, and see how long it takes  _ you _ to heal,” he snipped back, a bit more harshly than he’d intended--and he almost felt bad when he saw Chie’s startled look that quickly faded into a guilty, upset grimace, but it honestly wasn’t an exaggeration to say that the majority of the time that he’d spent in Souji’s mind, he genuinely  _ was _ still healing.

Of course, the healing process might have gone by a bit faster if he’d done more resting and less moving around, but… well, it was just  _ boring _ just laying around doing nothing, and there was only so long he could sleep for before he found himself wide awake and thrumming with restless energy, no matter how weak from exhaustion his soul had been. He was sure that anyone would go stir crazy after being cooped up for so long, regardless of how much  _ healing _ they had to do.

“Sorry,” Chie muttered, quiet yet genuine, and Yosuke decided to let her off the hook as he let out a long sigh.

“No, that’s… it’s fine. I’m sorry, that was uncalled for,” Yosuke apologized with a hint of a grimace, as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I really  _ am _ still healing, but…,” he trailed off for a moment, hesitating before bracing himself and forcing himself to say, “I think I should be good enough to at least try getting back in my body again in like a day or two, maybe.”

There. Now it was out in the open, with all of his friends to hold him to it. No more avoiding the issue, and no more overthinking things--he knew he couldn’t stay like this forever, and Chie calling him out on it was the push that he needed to just suck it up and leave the warmth and comfort of Souji’s mind so they could both go back to their normal lives.

No matter how much the thought of forcing himself into a bedridden body--with a mind filled only with his own anxious and self-deprecating thoughts--made him feel sick with nerves.

“Are you sure?” Rise asked, her gaze filled with both concern and doubt--not that Yosuke could blame her, since she was probably the only one aside from Souji who had really  _ felt _ just how weak he’d been when they all first rescued him. “You shouldn’t push yourself if you’re still recovering, you know.”

“I’m sure, I promise,” Yosuke replied, waving off her concern with a smile that was only the slightest bit forced. Wryly, he added, “It’s not like partner would let me push myself even if I wanted to, anyway. Trust me, he’s been mother-henning me practically the whole time to make sure that I get enough rest.”

To Yosuke’s relief, the mood quickly lightened as everyone began to laugh and agree about Souji being the team mom--and thankfully, Souji was a good enough sport to take the teasing in stride, only switching back with Yosuke so he could insist that  _ someone _ in the group had to take care of everyone.

With the group’s focus moving away from Yosuke and on to other subjects, Yosuke took the time to allow himself to relax, trying to get rid of any lingering nervous tension before Souji could notice and question him about it.

Or worse, before Souji could notice and decide to talk him out of the commitment he’d just made.

Everything would be fine. Yosuke had  _ way _ more energy than the last time he’d tried to return to his body, and his body itself would probably recover a lot more quickly once he pulled it out of its comatose state, so he had absolutely nothing to worry about.

Two days. He would give himself tonight and tomorrow to prepare, and then after that… it would finally be time to get back to moving forward with his life, and moving forward with solving the case.

* * *

**_I know what you said, but are you really sure--_ **

“Souji,” Yosuke interrupted with a mixture of exasperation and amusement, “I  _ swear _ I’m ready to do this. You don’t have to keep checking.”

A few hours had already passed since their conversation during lunch, yet Souji still didn’t seem to be all too convinced of Yosuke’s claims--which was fair, he supposed, considering how Souji was probably aware of the hints of reluctance and nervousness that Yosuke was still trying to stifle beneath a confident, composed facade.

**_Sorry,_ ** Souji apologized sheepishly.  **_I just… I don’t want you to force yourself to do this if you’re not prepared, just because you feel pressured._ **

“I mean, I wouldn’t say I’m at one hundred percent just yet, but at this point I’m just putting off the inevitable,” Yosuke replied wryly. “I’ll probably recover faster in my own body, too.”

**_I suppose that’s true._ **

There was a moment of silence between the two of them, as Yosuke stared up at the expanse of darkness surrounding him while Souji focused on making his way back home, before Yosuke finally spoke up once more.

“I’m guessing I’m not the only one feeling a bit reluctant about this?”

The flash of embarrassment and guilt that rushed through Souji’s mind was all the answer Yosuke needed, prompting a quiet laugh from Yosuke.

“It’s fine, partner, really. Like I said, I’m feeling reluctant too--and, well… I’m kind of glad to hear that I’m not the only one, honestly.” Yosuke habitually turned his gaze off to the side out of embarrassment, despite knowing that Souji couldn’t see him right now. “It’s weird, but… I’m going to miss this--being able to talk to you whenever I want, I mean, without having to call you, or text you, or physically go be with you.”

**_I’m going to miss this too,_ ** Souji admitted,  **_but more selfishly, I think I’m going to miss just having you here, knowing that you’re safe with me instead of worrying about you while we’re apart._ **

Yosuke blushed, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he replied, “Well if that’s the case, then  _ I’m _ going to miss being here to make sure you actually take care of yourself, instead of having to just hope that you’re actually getting some sleep when I’m not around.”

**_I’ll… try to be better about that, I promise_ ** , Souji replied, sheepish amusement tingeing his tone and briefly filling his mind.

Yosuke couldn’t help but roll his eyes in fond exasperation in response.

“I’ll hold you to that, partner.”

He turned his gaze upward as he suddenly heard the faint sound of Nanako’s voice, signalling that Souji had arrived at home--and while he was tempted to go and pester Souji while he cooked dinner, he knew it was probably better to try and get as much extra rest in tonight as he could, in preparation for returning to his body.

With that thought in mind, Yosuke let out a sigh and closed his eyes, trying to force himself to unwind enough to at least take a quick nap while Souji ate dinner with his cousin.

Emphasis on “trying”.

No matter how much he tossed and turned, he just couldn’t manage to relax enough to fall asleep, not when he knew that he would have to go back to his body in less than 48 hours.

Back to wandering around Inaba with people’s glares and harsh whispers following him everywhere.

Back to spending the majority of his time working at Junes, dealing with people berating him and dumping extra workloads onto his shoulders and coming to him with complaints that he wasn’t even in a high enough management position to be dealing with.

Back to constantly making an idiot of himself in front of the only people who even somewhat tolerated him, unintentionally pissing them off on almost a daily basis just because he couldn’t stop putting his foot in his mouth.

Back to scrounging for scraps of Souji’s time and attention, as his partner rushed to and fro trying to give all of himself to everyone who needed him.

Back to--

**_Relax, Yosuke._ **

Yosuke blushed heavily as he felt a rush of soothing warmth flooding Souji’s mind--and while it was mortifying to be reminded that Souji knew the effect he had on Yosuke like this and was willing and able to use it to his advantage, Yosuke also couldn’t help but relax and let the feelings wash over him, a pleased sigh slipping out as his consciousness began to drift.

This was definitely what he was going to miss the most, when he returned to his body: having Souji here to chase away all the negative thoughts and feelings, until all that was left was the reminder that even if the entire world couldn’t stand Yosuke, there was still one person that loved him above all else.

Even that thought was nothing more than a brief, wistful feeling that floated in and out of his mind, not disturbing Yosuke from his tranquil state in the slightest. After all, if there was only a limited time left, then he might as well enjoy this sensation of pleasant relaxation to the fullest, instead of stressing himself out and making himself upset.

He wasn’t sure how many hours passed, with him drifting in a light yet restful sleep, but before he knew it he could feel Souji’s fingers lightly toying with his hair, his body moving just enough for his head to rest comfortably against Souji’s chest.

Yosuke yawned and shifted closer to Souji, blindly moving an arm to drape over Souji’s side in a loose hug as he dazedly murmured, “Going to bed already? What time is it?”

“It’s still early, but… well, I figured calling it a night early couldn’t hurt just this once,” Souji replied, the unspoken sentiment clearly ringing out in the feelings echoing through his mind.

Souji wanted to take advantage of their limited time together, too. He really was going to miss this just as much as Yosuke.

Yosuke tightened his grip on Souji and pulled him closer, shifting just enough to press a kiss to Souji’s lips and smiling as the faint melancholy in Souji’s mind lightened into a more pleasant warmth.

“It’s going to be difficult,” Souji admitted after they broke the kiss, “trying to sleep on my own after this.”

“You’re telling me,” Yosuke replied wryly. “I don’t think I’ve ever slept so well before we started sleeping together.”

When Souji raised an eyebrow at him, amusement clear in his gaze, Yosuke belatedly realized what he’d said and blushed heavily as he lightly hit a fist against Souji’s back.

“You know what I meant, dammit.  _ Sharing the same space _ and sleeping, better?”

Souji chuckled and pressed a quick kiss to Yosuke’s lips, immediately settling his flustered annoyance.

“I guess this just means we’ll have to have more sleepovers,” Souji said, as if it was the simplest solution in the world.

Yosuke rolled his eyes. “Yeah, if I can manage to get away without Ted bugging me to come along,” he replied, before adding dryly, “And if you can manage to find a night off at all.”

“Yosuke, I would gladly cancel all of my plans to be with you.”

For a moment, Yosuke thought that Souji was joking, and expected to see a teasing look in his eyes--but no, there was nothing but pure sincerity and affection in his gaze, the feelings echoing around him making it difficult to accept Souji’s words as anything other than genuine.

Yosuke couldn’t stop his face from flooding with heat, nor could he help the urge to hide his face in the crook of Souji’s neck out of embarrassment as he hugged him tightly.

“You-- you don’t have to do that,” he replied weakly, hesitating for a moment before quietly adding, “but thank you. That means a lot to me.”

The fact that Souji, the busiest and most popular guy in all of Inaba, was willing to put all of his plans with other people on hold in order to put  _ Yosuke _ first….

Of course, Yosuke would never make Souji do something like that, but the sentiment alone was enough to warm his heart and put a smile on his face.

“You don’t have to thank me.” Souji moved a hand up to run through Yosuke’s hair, smiling as Yosuke let out a quiet, pleased sigh in response. “I know you would do the same for me, partner.”

Yosuke’s blush darkened heavily at that, his embarrassment made worse by the fact that he was almost  _ positive _ that Souji knew how hearing him call him  _ partner _ flustered him.

“Of course I would,” Yosuke muttered, his voice muffled as he kept his face buried in the crook of Souji’s neck.

Souji let out a soft hum in response, continuing to run his fingers through Yosuke’s hair and thoroughly enjoying the feeling of Yosuke slowly but surely unwinding against him.

The silence that stretched between them was comfortable, easing them both into a state of content relaxation--and though Yosuke was reluctant to ruin the moment by speaking, he was at least calm enough to finally bring up a topic that he hadn’t wanted to think about before.

“You’re going to have to… do what you did last time again, right?” Upon feeling Souji’s confusion, Yosuke said, “When you removed my soul from your body, I mean. I’m going to have to….”

Even in his relaxed state, he couldn’t help the grimace that flashed across his face at the memory of the sheer terror that came with being in that small, vulnerable state--especially since the majority of the time that he’d spent like that, he’d been trapped and tortured by that sadistic anomaly of a Shadow.

To say that he had bad memories associated with that form was the understatement of the century.

Souji frowned slightly, pulling back just enough to properly look at Yosuke with an apologetic expression. “There’s no other way, unfortunately.” Worriedly, he added, “Do you think you’ll be alright…? Do you want to practice?”

“Practice?” Yosuke’s brows furrowed in confusion for a moment, the lingering haziness of relaxation causing Souji’s suggestion to take a moment longer than usual to process in his mind--but as soon as it did, he suddenly felt much more awake than before as he sat up. “You mean before we go to the hospital?”

Souji sat up as well, his expression soft despite the hesitant concern still permeating his mind. “We don’t have to if you don’t want to, but it might help you stay calm when we go to the hospital if you can get used to the feeling now.”

Yosuke dropped his gaze, unconsciously worrying his bottom lip as he mulled over Souji’s suggestion.

On the one hand, he really just wanted to spend the night relaxing and ignoring his upcoming departure, even if he’d been the one to bring up the subject to begin with. On the other hand, though, Souji was right that it might help for him to get used to the feeling now--while it was just the two of them in the privacy of Souji’s bedroom--rather than panicking the day of and embarrassing himself in front of everyone yet again.

Plus, what if him panicking made it difficult--or even impossible--for him to return to his body? Of course, he was sure that his weakened state had been what kept him from being able to enter his body the first time he tried, but it wasn’t too farfetched to think that he might have had at least a bit less trouble if he’d been calmer at the time.

As if hearing Yosuke’s inner struggle, Souji reached out to cup Yosuke’s cheek in his hand, gently tilting his head up so their gazes could meet and giving him a small, affectionate smile as he saw the embarrassment that quickly colored Yosuke’s face in response.

“Do you trust me?”

“Always,” Yosuke responded, without a moment’s hesitation.

Souji’s expression softened, warmth swelling his heart and echoing in his mind from Yosuke’s assured response. “Then all you have to do is remember that, and you’ll be fine. I promise.”

Unable to make his vocal chords cooperate in the wake of the sudden surge of love that washed over him, Yosuke merely nodded in response, lifting a hand and placing it over Souji’s with the slightest hint of a flustered yet genuine smile.

Right, he had no reason to freak out about this. He would be in Souji’s capable hands--literally, in this case--so everything would be fine.

Or at least, that’s what he’d  _ like _ to say, but he knew that all of his composure would most likely end up flying right out the window the second he was back in that small, vulnerable form, no matter  _ how _ much he trusted Souji, so… maybe getting some practice in wouldn’t hurt.

Better to do it now than putting it off until tomorrow, too, just in case he needed more than just a night to prepare himself.

“Alright. I think… I want to practice, just for a bit,” Yosuke finally conceded after a moment longer, the slightest hint of sheepishness in both his gaze and his voice.

Souji nodded, leaning forward just enough to press a brief kiss to Yosuke’s lips before pulling back and giving Yosuke another smile. “Okay, then I’ll guide you out.”

With that, Souji disappeared, and Yosuke had a moment to take a breath and brace himself before he felt the familiar sensation of his soul being gently gripped and moved.

He’d grown far more accustomed to that sort of feeling over the past two weeks than he ever would have expected, so he didn’t feel even the slightest bit of nervousness as he was pulled forward--but as soon as he was met with the disorienting sight of both Souji’s bedroom and Souji himself looking way bigger than they were supposed to be….

“Yosuke, relax.”

Of course, it was easy for Souji to say as much when he wasn’t in Yosuke’s position, not that Yosuke could say so without any way of conveying what he wanted to say to Souji while outside of his head--nor could he even shoot an incredulous look up at Souji, when he had no face with which to convey his emotions.

It was  _ unsettling _ , being able to see with no eyes, and hear with no ears, and  _ feel _ with no body. Yosuke had pretty much put it out of his mind, after spending so long in his physical form while with Souji, but being like this was traumatizing in a number of different ways that he was trying  _ very _ hard not to focus on right now.

“I know you’re freaking out right now,” Souji continued, as if Yosuke needed someone reminding him that he was about as far from calm right now as he could possibly be, “but I want you to just focus on me, and ignore everything else. You’re safe, I promise.”

It was beyond mortifying, but there really was something about looking at Souji’s collected expression that helped ease away Yosuke’s panic the longer he stared up at him: if it was anyone else looking so calm when Yosuke himself was just barely managing to not freak out, he would probably have gotten furious and even more worked up than he already was, but Souji’s unflappable composure was so familiar that it felt more like a source of comfort than anything.

There were so many times when Yosuke felt like he was going to lose his cool over the course of the past few months, where all it took to calm down and focus was a quick, shared glance between him and his partner. Even if this situation was completely different than anything they’d ever been through, it didn’t change the fact that Souji’s ever-present calmness still had the same effect on him as always, clearing his mind and helping him focus.

Okay, so maybe this was a bit freaky, sure, but… he wasn’t in pain, which was already a huge difference from the last time he was like this, and the only person here that was watching him completely embarrass himself was Souji, who Yosuke already knew would never judge him or tease him. He wasn’t in any danger, either, so logically speaking there was no reason for him to freak out.

Apparently, Yosuke’s dissipating fear was somehow apparent to Souji, as he suddenly found himself on the receiving end of a small, satisfied smile that made embarrassment quickly flare up in place of his earlier unease.

“Better?” Souji asked softly, looking pleased as Yosuke--with no head to nod and no vocal chords to speak up with--bobbed slightly in affirmation against Souji’s hands, which remained loosely cupped around him. “Good, I’m glad.”

Before Yosuke could relax too much, however, he felt a sudden spike of panic as Souji’s hands slowly began to move.

“Yosuke,” Souji began, pausing his movements the second he noticed Yosuke’s fearful alarm, “you’re okay, I promise you’re not going to fall. You just have to get used to the feeling, at least enough so you can enter your body on your own without panicking.”

As if to prove his point, Souji let his hands drop away from Yosuke--just enough that there was a gap between his hands and where Yosuke’s soul was now floating--and gave him a small, reassuring smile.

“If it looks like you’re starting to fall, I’ll catch you. Trust me.”

Of course Yosuke trusted Souji, that went without saying--which was good, because Yosuke couldn’t exactly say anything right now anyway. Still, Yosuke couldn’t help but look down nervously, before quickly regretting it and hastily turning his gaze up to look at Souji instead.

Even if it was unsettling to have to look so far  _ up _ at Souji when the two of them were usually more or less at eye level with one another (Souji was just the slightest bit taller than him, but Yosuke would close that five centimeter gap between them eventually, he was sure of it), staring at Souji was  _ much _ better than acknowledging how far off the ground he was and how there was nothing holding him up right now.

It wasn’t like this was the first time he’d been like this, floating high off the ground, but he’d been fueled by pure terror and desperation back then. Now that he wasn’t in any danger, however, he was fully cognizant of how bizarre it felt to know that gravity  _ should _ be pulling him down right now but wasn’t--and while there was a tiny part of him that was intrigued by the sensation (it wasn’t like he was particularly scared of heights or anything, so he could appreciate how cool the power of flight would be in any other scenario), it was still overall unsettling when combined with the feeling of not having a body and of everything being larger than him.

Yosuke sure as hell hoped that there were no other Shadows hiding in the TV world with that same soul-snatching power. He wouldn’t wish this on anyone, except maybe whatever bastard was behind the murder case.

“Are you okay?”

Souji’s gentle voice pulled Yosuke from his musings, and he gave a small bob in response, his heart (figuratively) leaping into his throat in response to the sudden feeling of moving down and not feeling anything solid beneath him--like when you miss a step while rushing down the stairs, moving with the conditioned knowledge that there would be something beneath your foot when you step down only for your foot to meet air.

Either Souji didn’t catch the momentary flash of panic, or he understood the cause--most likely the latter, judging from how his hands hovered just the slightest bit closer to Yosuke, as if ready to reach out and catch him at any given moment--because he moved on without bringing any attention to it.

“I can set you down on your body when we’re in the hospital, but you’re going to have to move on your own to enter it, so… do you want to practice, or do you think you’ll be alright?”

Souji brought up a good point, one that Yosuke had acknowledged in passing but hadn’t really thought about: the only time he’d ever really moved around like this was when he’d been in a borderline-hysterical frenzy, both back in the TV world and in the hospital trying in vain to reenter his body. He’d never had to calmly and consciously focus on moving around like this before, and he would much prefer practicing now and getting the hang of it than being forced to work himself up into a panic just so he could  _ move _ .

He tried to focus, mentally willing himself to move up--moving down would just feel like falling, and he would rather not break the tentative calm that he was just barely managing to hold onto--and feeling a flash of startled alarm when he actually rose up by another inch or two.

Souji nodded in approval with a small, supportive smile--that same encouraging smile that made Yosuke feel like he could move mountains and grab the stars from the sky any time he was on the receiving end of it--before letting his hands fall away, now that Yosuke no longer needed a security net.

“Try and see if you have enough strength to reenter my body on your own,” Souji suggested, after watching Yosuke slowly but surely adjusting to moving around without descending into panic. He tapped his chest with a finger, right where Yosuke had run into him the first time, as he added, “Just move over here and focus on pushing your way in, but don’t force it if you feel your strength fading--I’d imagine it will be a lot easier for you to reenter your own body than it will be to enter mine, since I’m conscious and already have a soul inside of me.”

Not for the first time, and certainly not for the last, Yosuke was both bemused and appreciative of how Souji could calmly talk about the most bizarre subjects without batting an eye, making it so much easier to just get swept up in his pace and accept what he’s saying without question.

Plus, Yosuke had no memory of what it felt like the first time, so it might be a good idea to do this while he was fully aware, so he would be able to mentally brace himself for a similar experience when he finally came face-to-face (face-to-spirit?) with his own body.

Yosuke took a moment to prepare himself, lining up with Souji’s chest with only the slightest hint of nervousness, before rushing forward and colliding with--and  _ into _ \--him.

There was resistance, as Souji had warned him, but it wasn’t as bad as he’d been bracing himself for, honestly--it was  _ much _ easier than what he could remember from when he’d tried to reenter his own body, which was as much of a relief to him as it was to Souji, whose relief Yosuke could feel washing over him as soon as he was back inside of him.

Apparently he’d done  _ too _ good of a job pushing his way back in, though, since he’d ended up in control of Souji’s body instead of in the back of Souji’s mind, but Souji seemed to find this more amusing than concerning.

**_I’m sure Yukiko will be thrilled to know that you actually did possess me, this time._ **

Yosuke rolled his eyes and sat back down on Souji’s futon.  _ I did  _ **_not_ ** _ possess you. I’m not dead, and I’m not a ghost. _

**_But you’re a spirit._ **

_ It’s different! Don’t go killing me off, damn it. _ Yosuke huffed.  _ Now switch with me and let’s go to sleep for real, I’m exhausted. _

Though Souji was still amused, he did as asked, retaking control so Yosuke could let himself collapse in a heap in the back of his mind before pulling the covers over himself and joining Yosuke.

“Are you alright? You didn’t strain yourself or anything, did you?”

Yosuke shook his head, letting out a yawn that faded into an appreciative hum as Souji laid down next to him and pulled him close. “Nah, ‘m good. It was a bit draining, but I promise I didn’t push myself; I’m just tired.”

Souji hummed thoughtfully, examining Yosuke closely for a moment before relaxing in satisfaction as he realized that Yosuke was being honest with him. He idly moved a hand up to play with Yosuke’s hair as he replied, “I’m glad, then--and I’m proud of you, for pushing past your fears. I think you’re going to be just fine.”

Yosuke blushed lightly, giving a weak shrug in response even as he closed his eyes and leaned into the hand in his hair.

“I don’t think it’s that big of a deal, but… thanks.”

Souji clearly disagreed with Yosuke, but was too tired to argue beyond just stubbornly letting a feeling of love and pride towards Yosuke continue to permeate his mind, until Yosuke was blushing an adorable shade of red and hiding his face against Souji’s chest in embarrassment.

He would consider that a win, even if Yosuke would call it cheating.

Regardless of what it could be called, it had the desired effect of easing away Yosuke’s self-deprecating thoughts for one more night, lulling him into a peaceful sleep--and once Yosuke had dozed off with a small smile, Souji closed his eyes and allowed himself to do the same.

* * *

Today was the day.

To say that Yosuke was a bundle of nerves was an understatement, and it was only the ever-present air of calm composure in Souji’s mind that kept him from burning away all of his energy in a fit of anxious pacing. It didn’t exactly help matters that it was a school day, which meant that he had to wait hours upon hours before the Investigation Team could  _ finally _ make their way over to the hospital where Yosuke’s body was being looked after.

For better or worse, there was no change in the condition of Yosuke’s body since the last time they had gone--save for his muscles growing a bit weaker and his body looking a bit thinner, along with the paleness of his skin that came from a lack of exposure to sunlight, all things that Yosuke was sure he could fix once he was able to get his body out of this hospital bed.

(Souji would be sure to help, Yosuke knew it without needing to be told: his partner was too much of a mother hen to not end up fretting over him, and he’d probably be eating Souji’s boxed lunches for months until he was back to a healthy weight--not that he was complaining, of course.)

Just as they did before, the team waited until there was no one in the room but them before springing to action, standing guard by the door and blocking the cameras so no one would see the bizarre sight of someone extracting a small ball of light from their chest and placing it into the body of a comatose patient.

**_Ready?_ ** Souji checked.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Yosuke replied, taking a breath and bracing himself before relaxing slightly as a flood of warmth washed over him.

“Partner, I’m  _ fine _ , I promise,” he added, his words genuine even as he allowed himself to indulge in the comforting feeling one last time.

There was still one more thing that he wanted to do while it was just him and Souji, but he found himself hesitating out of flustered self-consciousness--and he almost hesitated for too long, just barely bringing himself to exclaim a hasty “Wait!” when he felt Souji beginning to move him.

Of course, Souji stopped the second the word left Yosuke’s lips, concern immediately flooding his mind, and Yosuke frantically scrambled to speak as he was immediately hit with guilt for making Souji worry.

“Sorry, sorry, I really am fine I promise, I just--” Yosuke felt his face heating up in embarrassment, but he knew that he had to say this now, otherwise he would lose his nerve once he was back in his body. “I… wanted to thank you. All of this was-- well, it was crazy, and weird, and kind of terrifying honestly, but… because I was with you, I was okay. Better than okay, even. I don’t think I could have gotten through this without you, partner, and I know I probably annoyed the crap out of you a lot and I’m sure it was a pain to have to share your head and your body with someone, and--”

Yosuke cut himself off, his blush darkening as he felt warm reassurance washing over him. “A-anyway, my point is… I just want you to know that I’m so grateful to you, partner, and that I… Iloveyou.”

There, he finally properly said it. He finally put his feelings into concrete words, even if it was just within Souji’s mind--though he supposed it was  _ because _ he was in Souji’s mind, where he didn’t have to worry about self-consciousness holding him back.

He would gather the confidence to say the words aloud someday, but for now, this was enough--both for him, and for Souji, whose flustered shock was equally balanced out by joyful adoration.

(Souji was grateful that he was so good at keeping a calm outward expression at all times, because he had  _ not _ expected a blatant love confession from Yosuke--sure, Yosuke had said that he  _ liked _ him, and it was obvious that he was  _ attracted _ to him, but  _ love? _ Souji hadn’t even  _ dared _ to hope to hear that word from Yosuke, at least not until long after Yosuke was back in his body and had adjusted to having feelings for another guy.)

**_I love you too,_ ** Souji replied, his composed voice standing in stark contrast to the feelings buzzing around in his mind, to the point where it caused laughter to bubble up and slip out past Yosuke’s lips before he could stop it.

“I know,” Yosuke replied with a grin--if there was anything at all that had come from all of this, it was an absolute certainty about Souji’s feelings towards him. He’d been on the receiving end of that warm affection for  _ weeks _ now; it was impossible to deny by this point, no matter how much his mind tried to twist things and come up with excuses for why Souji couldn’t possibly  _ actually _ love him.

With his peace said, Yosuke allowed Souji to guide him out for the final time, this time remaining calm and composed (outwardly, at least) as he found himself in that small vulnerable form once more.

Souji guided him over to his body as promised before setting him down, and Yosuke braced himself as he pushed forward, fighting past the small twinge of resistance until everything around him faded to black.

* * *

It came as a belated realization that even after Yosuke had reentered his body, they had no clue how long it would take him to actually wake up.

They had all assumed on some level that it would be instantaneous, or at least within a minute or two, but they forgot to take into account the fact that Yosuke’s body had been unconscious and unresponsive for weeks now--which meant that they might not even get the chance to see Yosuke open his eyes before visiting hours ended.

That didn’t mean that they were going to give up, though. They still had a little bit of time left, which meant that they could at least try and come up with some…  _ creative _ ideas to wake Yosuke up in the meantime, even if he wouldn’t wake up tonight as they’d hoped he would.

Of course, Souji discarded most of the suggested ideas since he didn’t want to accidentally hurt Yosuke or send him into cardiac arrest seconds after he woke up, but there was one joking suggestion tossed out that did catch Souji’s attention.

“A kiss from her prince charming woke Sleeping Beauty up, right?” Rise suggested with a hint of mischief shining in her gaze despite her teasing tone. “So why not try that?”

Chie let out a snort of laughter and dryly replied, “Wouldn’t it be more like the princess kissing the frog? I doubt anyone here would want to kiss him anyway, right?”

This of course sent Yukiko into a giggle fit and started up a whole debate on which fairy tale would be better suited to the situation, which--while  _ completely _ irrelevant to their current problem--planted the seed of an idea into Souji’s mind.

He wouldn’t do it now, in front of everyone, of course--Yosuke had told him that he wasn’t sure if he was ready for other people to know about them just yet, and as much as Souji would love to announce it to the world (or at least to the people closest to them) that he and Yosuke loved each other, the last thing he wanted was to scare Yosuke into regressing back into the same old habits of denial and lashing out that he used to hide his attraction towards Souji.

Besides, it was getting close to the end of visiting hours now, and the last thing Souji wanted was to cause a ruckus and get them kicked out so late in the day.

So all Souji could do was remind everyone of the time, reassure them one last time that Yosuke would be fine (a reassurance that he himself tried his best to take to heart), and--after casting one last glance at Yosuke’s unconscious body--reluctantly leave the room with them, in hopes that the night would pass by quickly and that Yosuke would already be awake by the time he got to the hospital first thing tomorrow morning.

Except, by the time he got home… he quickly realized that this would, most likely, be the longest night of his life.

He’d managed to put the thought out of his head for a while now, with Yosuke’s presence in the back of his mind and Yosuke keeping up a constant stream of conversation with him, but Yosuke was  _ in a coma _ . Souji’s best friend was laying in a  _ hospital bed _ , hooked up to wires and machines and losing strength by the day just from being unconscious for so long--and suddenly the fear of losing one of the most important people in his entire world came rushing back so strongly that he almost felt sick, his stomach turning with nerves as worst-case scenarios all flashed through his mind.

What if Yosuke never woke up? What if Yosuke hadn’t been recovered enough after all? What if Yosuke woke up but he didn’t remember anything from the past two weeks? Or what if Yosuke  _ did _ remember and his soul was conscious right now and he was trapped in an unconscious body, and what if he had been trying to wake up this whole time but wasn’t able to, and god  _ Souji _ had been the one to encourage him instead of waiting just a little bit longer and had helped him back into a body that wasn’t going to regain consciousness soon or maybe even ever again--

Souji forced himself to shake off his negative thoughts before they could completely overwhelm him, taking a few slow, steady breaths to try and calm himself.

Yosuke would be fine. He just had to have faith in him.

Searching for something to distract himself with, Souji’s gaze came to rest on the headphones sitting on his desk--and of course, though he knew for sure now that Yosuke would never mind him using them, he was still careful as he unwrapped the wire from the mp3 player and gently picked up the headphones, setting them comfortably over his ears and looking down at the mp3 player with a small, wistful smile.

There were a few songs that Yosuke had picked out for him to listen to that he’d ended up really enjoying, so he figured that immersing himself in those songs again would hopefully be enough to get him through the rest of the evening without overthinking things.

With that thought in mind, he hit play on one of the songs and sat down at his desk, determined to try and get at least a bit of work done. Not too much, though, otherwise he’d have to hear Yosuke getting on his case about working too hard and needing some sleep and--

Oh.

Just as soon as Souji thought he’d gotten himself back on track, his mind circled back to Yosuke once more: this time not out of anxious dread, but rather from the sudden, sharp ache of  _ loneliness _ that he felt as he remembered that Yosuke was gone.

Maybe Souji had adjusted to having Yosuke with him 24/7 a little  _ too _ well.

It had been nice--comforting, even--to be able to talk to his best friend at all hours of the day and night, to not feel like he was  _ alone _ . Which he wasn’t, he  _ knew _ he wasn’t: he had friends now, people that loved and supported him, people that wouldn’t forget about him even if he knew he would have to leave Inaba once the year was up, but… it was just such a stark contrast, going from having a friend to talk with constantly to having nothing but his own thoughts for company, that Souji couldn’t help the small pang of  _ emptiness _ that rushed through him, followed quickly by a rush of dread.

He wasn’t empty. He knew he wasn’t empty, he’d already moved past this. It was just the result of losing a familiar presence in his mind that he’d grown accustomed to, he  _ knew _ that, and yet--

Souji stood up from his desk, abandoning any thoughts of getting work done tonight and keeping the headphones over his ears as he slipped the mp3 player into his pocket.

A quick trip to the Velvet Room wouldn’t hurt, right? He’d made back some of the money that he’d spent on supplies, so he could afford to resummon at least  _ one _ Persona--and of course, he already knew exactly which one he wanted, even if he knew it would never hold a candle to the feeling of having Yosuke by his side.

Still, it would at least be comforting in its own way, to have the representation of the full strength of their bond with him. Now more than ever, he wanted to hold tight to that bond, to make sure that he would never fear having to lose his best friend--his boyfriend, his  _ partner _ \--ever again.

Souji couldn’t help but smile wryly, even as he let out a long, tired sigh.

It was going to be a long,  _ long _ night indeed.

* * *

Souji felt infinitely grateful that even part-time janitors were given keys to the hospital, though he knew he would probably get in trouble if he was caught using them to sneak in before visitors were allowed in. He just couldn’t wait a second longer, though--he’d barely gotten any sleep the past two nights as his mind continuously circled back to potential scenarios with each one being worse than the last, his worries not at all helped by yesterday’s fruitless visit to the hospital (the nurses had politely asked him to go home after he spent the entirety of his time after school until the evening just sitting in Yosuke’s hospital room with his friends taking turns coming in to check on him and Yosuke while unsuccessfully trying various things to wake him up), and he knew for sure now that he wouldn’t be able to breathe easy and relax until he finally saw Yosuke open his eyes.

Of course, he figured it was a long shot that Yosuke would already be awake by the time Souji made it to his room, but at least now Souji could approach Yosuke’s bedside and take his hand in his own without worrying about anyone walking in and seeing him, since there was still about a half hour before visitors would even be allowed into the hospital. Plenty of time for them to have a quiet moment of undisturbed privacy--and plenty of time for Souji to voice aloud the words that had been weighing down his chest from the moment Yosuke’s presence disappeared from his mind.

“Yosuke,” Souji began quietly, gently running his thumb along Yosuke’s knuckles as he gathered his thoughts, “I don’t know if you can hear me right now, but… I miss you.” He let out a soft, weak laugh. “I know that probably sounds silly, since it’s only been two days now, but… I think… I think I’ve been missing you this whole time, and I just didn’t realize it. I loved having you with me all the time, and I loved being able to talk with you whenever I wanted, and… I really,  _ really _ do miss that too, but… I was just using that feeling as a distraction, I think, to keep myself from remembering that having you with me like that just  _ wasn’t the same _ as physically having you by my side.”

He gave Yosuke’s hand a light, careful squeeze as he continued to force the words out from around the lump in his throat. “I miss hanging out with you at the Samegawa, or Okina, or Junes, or  _ anywhere _ ; I miss whispering answers to you in class and helping you with homework; I miss texting you every night, and waking up the next morning to look back with a smile at our silly conversations; I miss discussing the case with you and fighting side by side with you in the TV; I miss cooking for you and watching your face light up every time I made your favorite food; I miss--” he let out a slow, shuddering breath, blinking away the blurriness in his vision as he murmured, “I just miss you  _ so much _ , Yosuke. You’re such an important part of my life.”

Souji moved from his seat, leaning over Yosuke’s bedside until his forehead was resting gently against Yosuke’s, his hand moving to lightly cup Yosuke’s cheek.

“So please, partner…  _ please _ wake up.”

With that, Souji cleared the minuscule distance between them as he pressed his lips to Yosuke’s, trying his best to pour all of his love and desperation into one single, heartfelt gesture.

And as if to answer his prayers, the sound of Yosuke’s heart rate monitor began to slowly pick up, seconds before Souji felt Yosuke’s lips move against his own, the motion weak but undeniable.

Souji nearly broke out into relieved laughter on the spot.

Of course someone who gained strength from the power of friendship would be able to wake a person up with the power of love. It was so ridiculously cliche that even he couldn’t help but find it amusing beyond the sheer swell of relief flooding through him.

Souji’s gaze locked onto Yosuke as soon as he pulled back from the kiss, so he could have the pleasure of seeing his partner--and being the first person his partner saw--as soon as Yosuke’s eyes fluttered open, which they finally did after another moment or two of barely-patient waiting.

The smile that Yosuke gave him was weak but genuine, and it was such a sight for sore eyes--despite seeing Yosuke in his mind, because that was  _ different _ , he loved spending time with Yosuke like that but he hadn’t hadn’t been kidding when he said just how badly he missed seeing Yosuke physically in front of him--that Souji had to restrain himself from leaning forward and capturing that smile in another kiss, his gaze once again clouding over with unshed tears as he felt both his mind and his heart settling in satisfaction.

Yosuke was awake now. He was okay.

Finally, Souji felt like he could  _ breathe _ .

“Hey partner,” Yosuke rasped out quietly, alarm quickly taking the place of drowsy confusion as he took a proper look at Souji’s expression. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

Souji let out a soft, choked-up laugh, leaning forward enough to lightly rest his head against Yosuke’s shoulder and making sure to remain conscious of not knocking out any of the wires as he carefully wrapped his arms around Yosuke in a gentle hug.

“I’m alright now. I’m just… I’m so happy to see you, partner.”

Yosuke blushed heavily, before flinching slightly as the sound of the heart monitor picking up startled him--and of course this prompted another, more genuine laugh from Souji, which only ended up making Yosuke even  _ more _ flustered.

“Stop embarrassing me, dammit,” Yosuke whined quietly, attempting to move his hand to lightly swat at Souji only to grimace at the uncomfortable tug of an IV. “Ugh, I feel like crap… how long did it take me to wake up, anyway? What day is it?”

“I’m… assuming you mean how long after we put your soul back into your body, right?” Souji asked warily as he carefully pulled back and sat up to face Yosuke, trying his best to keep the hints of nervous alarm that he was feeling from bleeding into his tone or his expression.

Even after just waking up from a coma, Yosuke somehow could still see right through him--perhaps even better than before, from the weeks that he’d spent in Souji’s head--since he quickly replied, “Yeah, sorry, that’s what I meant. I still remember everything.” With a mixture of embarrassment and wry amusement, he added, “If I didn’t, I would’ve freaked out waking up to you kissing me.”

Souji chuckled weakly. “Good point. I just wanted to make sure--and to answer your question, it’s Sunday today, so it’s been about two days.”

Yosuke frowned. “Two days… sorry, partner. I guess I was still more worn out than I realized.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Souji replied with a small smile, his expression openly filled with soft affection as he met Yosuke’s gaze. “As long as you’re awake now, that’s all that matters.”

Yosuke’s frown softened slightly into a more pensive, almost wistful look, before giving Souji a smile in return. “Y’know, it’s probably weird, but… I keep expecting to feel what you’re feeling whenever I hear you, or even just when you’re looking at me, but there’s nothing.”

“Well then… I guess I just need to find other ways of showing you how much I love you,” Souji replied, the words coming out so easily and so naturally that it took a minute before Yosuke processed them and broke out into a bright-red blush.

“That’s not-- you don’t  _ have to _ \--”

“I  _ want to _ ,” Souji corrected, smiling as he watched Yosuke’s flustered stammering for a moment longer before capturing Yosuke’s lips in another kiss, and thoroughly relishing the feeling of Yosuke slowly unwinding until he was completely relaxed against the hospital bed.

Or at least, Yosuke  _ was _ relaxed, until Teddie suddenly burst into the room.

“Yosukeeeee, are you--”

Souji hastily pulled out of the kiss, feeling just as caught off-guard as Yosuke was if the sudden spike in his heart monitor was any indication, and he inwardly berated himself for not keeping a closer eye on the time, and for not thinking that any of their friends would show up first thing in the morning--especially Teddie, who had been especially worried about Yosuke and had been the most excited for him to finally wake up.

Of course, Souji’s (and Yosuke’s) hopes that Teddie hadn’t seen anything were immediately crushed as Teddie’s entire face lit up with joy as he looked between the two of them, his eyes quickly filling with tears as he turned and giddily rushed out of the room to where--Souji and Yosuke could only assume--the rest of their friends were waiting to come inside.

“ _ Yosuke’sawakeandhe’sscoringwithSensei!!! _ ”

Souji ran a hand down his face and let out a long sigh, while Yosuke groaned in mortification as his head collapsed backwards onto his pillow.

“That’s it. Souji, pull the plug. I’m done. Gone. Goodbye.”

Souji shot him a flat look, trying not to give in to his amusement from Yosuke’s dramatics as he dryly replied, “You’re not even on life support.”

“Then at least pass me a pillow to bury my face in before they come, so I don’t have to look any of them in the eye.”

“You know, they might not even believe Teddie,” Souji tried to reason. “You know how often he talks about  _ scoring _ . I don’t even think he really gets what it means.”

Yosuke groaned, his situation not at all helped by his inability to move his arms enough to hide his face in mortification. “I know, I know, I just-- I wanted a little more time to get used to…  _ all of this _ before I told anyone, but….”

“You know they’re all going to be okay with it, right?” Souji said gently, just barely keeping himself from reaching out to physically reassure Yosuke in case anyone else decided to burst into the room--which they no doubt would any minute now, once Teddie finally reached the waiting room and spread the news.

Yosuke was quiet for a moment or two before finally, quietly replying, “But what if they aren’t? They’d have every right to be pissed off at me, or think that I’m lying or--”

Souji took one more glance at the door, making sure that no one was there before leaning over and pressing a quick kiss to Yosuke’s forehead. “You’re overthinking things,” he chided gently, straightening back up to give Yosuke a small, encouraging smile. “Everything will be fine, I promise.”

Yosuke, despite his embarrassment, seemed to take his words to heart as he relaxed a bit--though when he gave no response, Souji decided to speak up once more as he offered, “Do you want me to go and talk with them first? Just so they don’t get the wrong idea from whatever Teddie’s telling them.”

Yosuke glanced away sheepishly. “That… would probably help a bit, yeah. Thanks.”

“Alright. I’ll be back in a bit, then,” Souji replied, pressing a quick kiss to Yosuke’s cheek and smiling as he immediately felt it heating up beneath his lips.

Just as he turned to leave, though, he felt something lightly tug at the edge of his shirt--and when he glanced back, he couldn’t help his expression softening despite his concerned confusion as he took in the sight of Yosuke looking up at him in flustered hesitance.

“Sorry, I just… I’m sure everyone’s going to want to come back in here with you, so while it’s still just the two of us and before I forget, I wanted to… well, this is probably gonna sound weird, but I had a dream, I think? Or maybe it wasn’t a dream, maybe you were really talking to me, but I just-- I don’t remember much of it, but I just wanted to say…,” Yosuke glanced away briefly in embarrassment, before looking back up and meeting Souji’s gaze despite the heavy blush heating up his face. “Thank you, and I really am glad to be back, partner. I missed you.”

Souji’s heart swelled, and--though he knew it would only further embarrass Yosuke if their friends chose this moment to enter the room, and potentially run the risk of a doctor rushing in as well from Yosuke’s heart monitor going crazy as a result--he couldn’t help but lean over to capture Yosuke’s lips in one more heartfelt kiss.

“I’m glad to have you back, partner,” Souji replied softly, resting his forehead against Yosuke’s and focusing all the love and appreciation that he felt towards Yosuke into both his gaze and his smile. “I missed you too.”

Thankfully, either Teddie was still trying to convince their friends that he really had seen Souji and Yosuke kissing, or the nurses were giving them a hard time going in all at once after how loud they’d been the last time that they’d gone in as a group--but regardless of the reason, Souji was grateful to be able to end the moment between him and Yosuke on calmer, more pleasant terms as he pressed one last, light kiss to Yosuke’s lips before straightening up with a small, apologetic smile.

“I’ll be back in a bit, okay?”

“Alright,” Yosuke replied, his smile already looking the slightest bit brighter despite knowing the inevitable embarrassment that was to come. “Good luck, partner.”

Souji was pretty sure that he wouldn’t need luck, but he thanked Yosuke all the same as he left the room and made his way towards the waiting area--before realizing that yes, he would  _ definitely _ be needing some luck, since his previous assumptions about why their friends hadn’t immediately stormed Yosuke’s hospital room had been more or less correct: even before Souji reached the waiting area, he could already hear both his friends’ excited voices going back and forth theorizing when Souji and Yosuke had gotten together and if that had been their first kiss or not, and the nurse’s voice trying to get them all to quiet down.

As soon as he stepped foot into the room, Souji was immediately pinned faced with six gazes filled with varied levels of excitement and interest--and even as he braced himself for the onslaught of questions, he still found himself smiling as he saw that, as he expected, not a single one of them looked bothered or upset in any way by the news.

Granted, there probably could have been a better way to break the news to the rest of the team that he and Yosuke had feelings for one another than Teddie catching them kissing, and they could have done things in a way that didn’t draw so much attention to themselves while annoying the hospital staff, but…

Well, as long as Yosuke was finally back in his body and conscious again, and as long as the team was taking the sudden revelation about his and Yosuke’s feelings in stride, then all’s well that ends well as far as Souji was concerned.

Of course, Yosuke still had to recover enough to be discharged from the hospital, so everything hadn’t technically ended well just yet--but once Yosuke was out of the hospital and back home, Souji would do everything in his power to help Yosuke recover and regain his strength so that they could resume their investigation and bring this case to a close once and for all.

It would take a while for sure, but at long last, everything was beginning to ease its way back to something as close to normal as their lives would allow, with a TV world and Shadows and a murder case to solve--and after everything that they’d been through in the past few weeks alone, that was all that anyone could ask for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that marks the end of the first (proper) multi-chapter fic on this account ;u; I know I sound like a broken record by this point but I really, _really_ appreciate everyone who read, kudo'd, commented, and bookmarked this fic! Like I said in the note at the beginning, I literally rewrote the ending I already had to try and make it better just because it meant so much to me that so many people sincerely enjoyed this fic <3
> 
> Here's hoping that I can dig up and finish another old WIP to post here soon! ;u;


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